Black Widow
by Hotaru
Summary: Spike and Faye ditch the Bebop for awhile to get some cash, Jet and Ed vacation on Earth, and Vicious is targeting someone...
1. The Black Widow

Black Widow, Session 1

By: Hotaru

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

You know how when you were a little kid, you'd climb into your parent's bed during a thunderstorm and stay there the night? Well that's exactly what Faye Valentine felt like doing. The Bebop crew was staying on Earth for a while. Lady Luck had given them a sufficient bounty for some criminals, so they were stable..for the moment anyway.

Faye wasn't used to storms, seeing how the crew was usually in space. She stared up at the ceiling as the rain splattered against her window. Sighing, she turned her head in time to see a crack of lightning. She shivered slightly as thunder made the hotel they were staying in shake. "I can't stand this." Faye murmured, getting out of bed and walking into the hallway.

She passed Ed and Ein's room, Jet's room and finally came upon Spike's room. Sighing again, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The door closed silently, but it wouldn't have woken Spike up, even if it _had made noise. Faye crept over to the bed and laid down on it next to Spike's sleeping figure. One of his arms was stretched across both pillows, and the other was behind his head. Miraculously, both legs were still on the bed._

"Spike." Faye whispered, grabbing onto his arm. "Spiiike." She whispered, a little louder. A soft moan escaped Spike's lips as he turned his head away from the racket. "Spike!" Faye hissed. Groaning, Spike turned around and opened his eyes groggily. "Faye? What's the matter?" He asked. There was a low rumble of thunder, and upon seeing Faye flinch, Spike knew what was wrong. "Oh, I see how it is. You're scared." He said, sitting up slightly and smiling.

Faye moved onto the bed further and laid beside Spike. "I'm not used to Earth storms." She said, although it was a lame excuse. "And what am I supposed to do about it?" Spike asked, watching the lightning flicker. "Can I…stay here tonight?" Faye asked shyly. "Stay here?" Spike repeated. He thought it over in his head. /It's not like she likes you or anything..might as well/. "Yeah, go ahead." Spike answered, crawling back under the covers.

"Thanks Spike, I owe you one." Faye said gratefully, joining her comrade under the blanket. Faye  couldn't help but stare outside the window, the gray sky being lit up by the frequent flashes of lightning. Sighing for what seemed like the thousandth time, Faye got out of bed and walked to the window. _/It's quiet..like space/ Despite how late it was, an occasional car would drive by, casting an odd shadow in the room momentarily. "Can't sleep huh?"_

Faye jumped at the voice that broke the silence. Spike had managed to sneak up behind her, and was currently staring out the window too. "Can ya tell?" Faye asked sarcastically. "'Doesn't look like it's going to let up any time soon." Spike reported, glancing up at the sky. Faye mumbled a mm-hmm and crossed her arms, shivering slightly. "Here, this'll help block out the light." Spike said, reaching up and pulling the curtains closed. The room became dark, and Faye bumped into Spike trying to make it back to the bed.

"Here, it's this way." Spike said, taking hold of Faye's arm and leading her to the bed. "Thanks." Faye murmured, watching Spike's shadow-like form climb into bed. He sighed as he got comfortable. "What, are you afraid of the dark, too?" Spike said teasingly. Faye snapped out of a daze and climbed into the bed. "Ha ha, very funny. I bet you have some really stupid fears too Spike." She said, trying not to feel nervous. "I probably do." Spike replied, turning on his side. "Goodnight Faye." He said, already falling back to sleep. "Night.."

The next morning, Jet was working on his Bonsai trees, and Ed was typing away at her laptop. "What's for breakfast?" Faye asked, shuffling towards the kitchenette. "The usual." Jet replied, trimming at a tiny tree. Faye grumbled and went for some mushrooms and milk, the usual. "This is supposed to be a vacation. Why can't we eat good food?" Spike asked, sauntering in and peering into the mini-fridge. "We have to spend our money cautiously Spike, or else we'll be eating mushrooms until the day we die." Jet replied.

Faye and Spike stared into the fridge, pondering what they could make. "We could make mushroom omelettes." Spike said, nodding at the two eggs they had left. "How are two eggs going to inflict any damage on our appetites?" Faye asked. "Well…if we mix some milk with the eggs, and add plenty of mushroom, it won't be too noticeable." Spike replied. Sighing in agreement, they pulled everything out of the fridge. "Hey Spike…I never thanked you..for last night. It meant a lot to me." Faye whispered, as she sliced the mushrooms. Jet stopped trimming and Ed stopped typing, not long enough to be noticed by Faye and Spike.

"Oh..right. No problem." Spike answered, whisking at the eggs and milk. "I can only assume one thing considering what they're talking about." Jet whispered to Ed. "Edward saw Faye Faye's room was emptyyyy and there were stra~ange voices coming from Spike Spike's ro~oom." Edward replied, emphasizing her statement by wiggling her fingers. "You don't think they…you know..did anything, do you?" Jet asked. "Maybe….they're in loo~oove." Ed said, wiggling her toes and making dozens of red hearts appear on her screen. Spike and Faye turned to glare at the two.

"You know we _can hear you." Spike said dryly. Jet and Edward pretended to be working. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Spike." Jet said, accidentally chopping off a precious limb of his bonsai tree. "So what exactly are we going to do on this vacation?" Faye asked, crossing her arms. "Don't look at me." Spike said defensively, flipping over an omelette. "Beach beach peach peach leech leech beach beach **beach**!" Edward offered, hopping around like a monkey of some sort. "The beach?" Faye asked, looking from Jet to Spike, then to Ed who continued to bounce around._

Spike looked out the window as the clouds slowly began to clear. "Hm..I _guess we could go. But the sand would be all mushy." He said, plating an omelette and handing it to Faye. She stared down at the black mass of goo. "What the hell is this supposed to be!?" She exclaimed, thrusting the plate under Spike's nose. "It's an omelette, what do you think?" Spike retorted, beginning on another one. "Oh no you don't! You can eat this one, and I'll make my own." Faye said, grabbing the spatula from Spike and shoving him out of the way. _

"Fine. There's nothing wrong with this one." Spike said, sitting down at the couch with a fork. "Nothing wrong with it besides the fact that the outside is burned to a crisp and the inside isn't even cooked." Faye muttered. Jet shook his head and put his clippers down. "This wouldn't be such a problem if the two of you would cook more often." He said, crossing his arms. Spike eyed the mass of over-cooked and under-cooked omelette that lay before him, and sighed, putting the plate on the floor so Ein could eat it. 

Faye stared out the window, and didn't notice the smoke rising from the pan. "Faye!! Snap out of it." Spike said loudly, nudging Faye's shoulder. "Huh? Oh no!" Faye exclaimed, turning the burner off and staring at the glop she'd just burned. "Man this sucks." She moaned, giving up on the food. "I think I deserve a little appreciation for cooking every night, seeing how you two managed to screw up _omelettes_." Jet said, tilting his head to the side. "Well Jet, we never actually tasted what we made, so we can't be certain it was worse than the crap _you cook." Spike said cockily._

"Well then you won't mind if I only cook for me and Ed then, would you?" Jet said, smirking. Faye and Spike grimaced at the thought of having to cook everyday. "Just as I thought." Jet said under his breath. "Faye Faye, bo baye, banananana fo Faye, me my mo Maye, Faye!" Ed sang, hopping around the kitchen. "Yes, Ed?" Faye asked. "Ed wants to swim at the beach! Ed wants to make sand castles!" Ed sang, latching onto the counter-top and flipping upside down. "Alright already! We'll go to the damn beach." Spike said, caving in much to Edwards delight. "Yeeehooo! C'mon Ein!" Ed sang, extending her arms and "flying" to her room.

The rest of the crew headed to their rooms as well to get ready. No one was really going to go swimming, except Ed and Ein that is. Faye would tan, and God only knows what Spike and Jet were going to do. "Come on Faye! Hurry up! Ed wants to swim!!" Everyone except Faye was ready and standing outside the ship, waiting impatiently. "I'm coming, hold your damn horses!" Faye's voice echoed through the ship. "Why do you think women take so long to get ready any way?" Jet asked, running a hand over his head.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "How the hell should I know?" he replied, pulling out a cigarette. Eventually, Faye emerged wearing a bikini and a towel wrapped around her waist, toting a small bag. "Yay! Faye Faye is ready to go!" Ed exclaimed, frolicking down towards the beach. "Jesus Faye, it took you that long to put on underwear?" Spike asked, falling into step with Faye. "It's not underwear you moron! I only have one bikini, and I had to find it, that's all." Faye replied. Spike looked down at the bag. "And that?" he questioned.

"Nothing of your concern." Faye retorted, sticking her nose upward. Spike snorted and resumed walking beside Jet. "What are we going to do there anyway?" Jet asked. Spike shrugged and the beach loomed into view. "Yay! We're here Ein!" Edward shouted, racing towards the beach with the Welch corgi. The three others found a spot on the beach and settled down. Faye laid down a towel and proceeded to put on suntan lotion. Spike found himself involuntarily staring at her. "Spike? Yo, Spike!" Jet said, trying to get his attention. 

Spike snapped around guiltily. "Huh? What?" he asked. Jet shook his head, seeing what Spike was gawking at. "If you're still hungry, there's a bar over by the boardwalk." Jet suggested, pointing backwards with his thumb. Spike nodded and said, "Yeah, thanks. I'm starving, and Faye probably is too." He stood up and pulled off his jacket, it was quite humid that day. "Yo Faye." He said, trying to get the purple-haired woman's attention. "Hm? Yeah, Spike?" Faye asked, rubbing lotion into her arms.

"Jet said that there's a bar up on the boardwalk incase we were hungry." Spike said, trying oh-so-hard not to stare. "Oh. Let me finish putting on my lotion, alright?" Faye replied, reaching for her back. Spike, noticing an opening, stepped forward and grabbed the lotion. "Here, let me. You can't reach." He said quickly, sitting down behind Faye. "..Thanks." Faye said, slightly startled. Faye got déjà vu from the night before—she got the same dazed feeling when Spike tried to diminish her fears. _/Shit…/ Faye thought, noticing a pattern. _

She did, in fact, enjoy the feeling of Spike's calloused hands moving across her back and shoulders, massaging in the lotion. She shivered slightly, and Spike handed her the suntan lotion back, much to her dismay. "All done." He announced, standing up. "Thanks." Faye repeated, taking Spike's hand and standing upright. "Wanna get something to eat?" Spike asked, pulling out a few woo long from his pocket. "Sure." Faye replied. The two walked by Jet, who shook his head and crossed his arms.

"So…" Faye said, trying to start a conversation. "Yeah?" Spike asked. "I uh…" Faye stammered, looking downwards. Spike turned to look at her. "You…what?" he asked. Sighing deeply, Faye answered, "I'm sorry..about last night. I shouldn't have bothered you." Spike chuckled softly. "You don't have to be sorry, I wasn't really bothered. It's been a long time since I've slept next to someone." Spike mused, looking up at the sky. "Really?" Faye asked, sounding quite surprised. Spike nodded and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt. The look on his face told her not to inquire any further.

They reached the bar and sat down under the shade of a canopy. "What can I get you folks?" The bartender asked, cleaning a glass. "Piña colada." Faye answered, picking up a napkin. "And for you sir?" The man asked, looking at Spike. "Whiskey sour." Spike answered finally. "Comin' up." Spike turned on his stool and looked at Faye, smiling slightly. Faye didn't notice however, she seemed to be concentrating on tearing up her napkin. "Here you go." Two drinks were placed down in front of Spike and Faye, as the bartender went to serve other patrons.

Faye took hold of her straw and stirred her drink slowly. Spike pulled the lemon off the rim of his glass and offered it to Faye. "No thanks, they're too sour." Faye said, turning to watch as Spike drew the lemon slice to his mouth. He bit into it and sucked the juice out, grimacing slightly. Faye chuckled and looked down at her glass. "You should have known better not to do that, Spike." She scolded. "Yeah well…" Spike said, leaning down, pausing, and kissing Faye's lips briefly. 

He sat upright afterwards and took a sip of his drink. "Why did you do that?" Faye asked, her lips tingling. Spike shrugged nonchalantly. "I needed something sweet to cover the taste of that lemon." He answered. "Oh God Spike, that is so lame!" Faye exclaimed, nudging her counterpart gently. "It was supposed to be lame, Faye. What do you expect me to say?" Spike said, taking some more of his drink. "I don't know! Something like.."You're lips are so irresistible Faye" or "I've had these feelings for a long time."" Faye said, giggling slightly.

The two shared a laugh before becoming silent again. Spike picked up a menu and examined it. "Hm..what can we eat that's good and affordable.." He murmured out loud. Faye leaned over and looked at it. "What do you mean "we"? Are you, dare I say, offering to pay my bill?" Faye said incredously. Spike shrugged again. "Maybe…you did have to deal with me kissing you and all." He said, tapping the counter. "Oh come on Spike, it wasn't that bad." Faye said, automatically wishing she hadn't said that. 

Spike smiled inwardly. /So maybe she _does like me/ he thought. "Yo, bar-keep!" Spike said, raising his arm to get the mans attention. "Yes sir?" The man asked. "What's your best dish?" Spike asked, folding his hands and resting his chin on them. "Well, a lot of people order our seafood dishes. Might I recommend the shrimp, crab and lobster combo with sea urchin marinara sauce?" Spike chuckled and said, "Maybe what I should have asked was what's your best affordable dish. We're bounty hunters, not billionaires."_

The man pretended to be shocked. "Well, if you're short on money, the best thing you're gonna get is the chef's specialty—you get a salad, soup, sandwich and drink for around 400 woo long." Spike looked at Faye for her approval. She shrugged with an "I don't _want to eat it but I'll eat it" look on her face. "We'll take two of those." Spike said, closing his menu. "You know, this wouldn't be such a big deal if Jet wouldn't be such a cheap bastard and get some good food every now and then." Faye said, turning to look at the beach where Jet was currently tossing Ed into the water over and over again._

Spike joined her in watching the two and nodded. "Yeah, that's true. But like they say, if you were starving you'd eat any food you can get, and we're usually starving." He said, leaning his arms on the bar top. Faye felt her eyes wander to catch a glimpse of Spike's exposed chest. He never did wear anything as revealing as she did after all. Meanwhile, Spike's eyes wandered to see into Faye's bikini top. His eyes darted upwards momentarily to notice she was staring at his chest, so he leaned down further.

_/If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was doing this on purpose!/_ Faye thought, leaning slightly to see more of Spike's chest. In turn, Faye raised her arms upwards and stretched her body, to see if Spike was watching her as well. He was. "Food's here!" Faye and Spike jumped slightly and turned around to their not-so-nice looking meals. "So…when do you think we'll go back to space?" Faye asked, taking some soup on her spoon. "I don't know…whenever Jet decides that we need more money." Spike replied.

"Why does he get to make all the decisions? We just _had to go on vacation, he couldn't just buy some good food and fix up the ship or something." Faye grumbled. Spike chuckled slightly. "Are you saying that you'd prefer that?" he asked. Sighing, Faye shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, what the hell are we doing on Earth anyway? Aside from the meteor showers, there's nothing here, except the beach, and all we can do is sit for hours and get tanned while watching Ed and Ein play in the water. I feel like a parent or something." Faye mused, slurping down her soup._

Spike mirrored her soup slurping and sighed. "Yeah…and even if Jet and Ed wanted to have a vacation, we could be up in space collecting bounties and using it for what ever we wanted!" He said, getting some ideas in his head. "We _should leave them here." Faye agreed, starting on her salad. "Why don't we?" Spike said, turning to face her. Faye turned and looked up at him. "Are you serious?" She asked, chewing on a carrot slice. Spike smiled and nodded. "I guess…hell, why not?!" Faye said, enjoying the idea of spending some time alone with Spike._

_/Who knows! Maybe he'll even kiss me again!/_ Faye thought, blushing slightly. "Great. Why don't we finish eating and head on over at tell Jet?" Spike said, biting into his sandwich. Faye nodded and they ate their meal rather quickly. "That'll be 800 woo long." The bartender said as they prepared to leave. "Oh, right." Spike said, digging into his pocket. "I don't have any money on me. I'll pay you back once we get to the hotel." Faye said. Spike winked and handed the man some crumpled bills. 

"Don't worry about it." He answered as they set out under the blazing sun. /Whoa, _that's certainly a first. Since when does Spike care about something other than money?/ Faye thought. Spike groaned and un-buttoned his shirt the rest of the way. "Who the hell decided to come here? It's so hot." He grumbled, fanning himself. "Jet. It was __all Jet's idea. "Let's go to Earth! We need a vacation!" he says, forgetting to mention how crappy it was gonna be." Faye said, imitating Jet. Spike chuckled softly as they walked down to the water where Jet was tossing Edward in. _

He had just tossed the zany computer-freak in when they arrived. "Hey guys, what's up?" He asked as Ed began to swim ashore. "Listen Jet, we want to head back to space and get some money." Spike said, enjoying the occasional sprinkle from the waves. "What do you mean? You want to go to a bank or something?" Jet asked, knowing that none of them even _had a bank account. "No, Jet, we want to collect some more bounties." Faye answered for Spike. "Again again!" Ed shouted, hopping up and down. "Okay, here we go!" Jet said, picking Ed up and tossing her into the water again._

"But I thought you guys wanted a vacation." Jet said defensively. "We did Jet, but this is hardly a vacation. It's hot as hell here, my clothes are sticking to me, and my hair is going to be an absolute mess." Faye complained. It _was quite humid after all. Jet sighed. "Alright…I'm trusting you guys with my ship, ok? If there is a scratch that wasn't there before on it when you come back, you'll be sorry you ever came up with the idea of leaving." Jet warned. Faye and Spike grinned at each other. "Again again!" Ed said, clinging onto Jet's knee._

Spike and Faye headed back to get their things when Ed ran after them. "Where are Spike and Faye Faye going?" Ed asked. "We're going to space Ed, we need more money." Faye answered, dusting off her towel and folding it up. "Aw…but Ed will miss you!" Edward said, hugging Faye tightly. "We'll miss you too Ed, go on, Jet's waiting for you." Spike said, hoping that the sopping wet Edward wouldn't hug him too. She did though, and _then went back to Jet and Ein._

Spike dusted some water off of his suit and proceeded to follow Faye back to the hotel. "I'm going to get changed and pack my stuff. We'll meet outside, ok?" Faye said as they entered their suite. "Sure." Spike replied as they went their separate ways. Spike didn't have much to do really. Toss a few things into a bag, borrow some money from Jet and that was about it. Faye, on the other hand, had to make sure she had every last thing; toothbrush, razor, shampoo, conditioner and soap, socks, shoes, hair brush, make-up, the whole nine yards, stuffed into a little duffel bag. 

Meanwhile, Spike was waiting outside under the vestibule smoking a cigarette. A few girls in bikini's smiled and giggled at him as they walked by. He looked at them with a dumbfounded look, and banged on the door. "Faye! What the hell is taking so damn long?" He called inside. "Hold on Spike! I'll be out in a minute!" Faye called back. Spike finished his cigarette and stepped on it, pulling another one out of the pack. "Don't you know that smoking's not good for you?" Faye said, pulling the lit cigarette out of Spike's mouth and placing it in hers.

"Hypocrite." Spike snorted, picking up his bag from the floor. "You sure you have enough to last until we get to space?" Faye asked sarcastically, handing him back the cigarette. "Just as long as you don't keep mooching off of me, I'll be fine. But lets pick some up, just to be sure." Spike said, stopping at a store on the boardwalk. "Don't waste all our money on cigarettes Spike, or I'll be forced to toss you out in the middle of space." Faye warned. Spike made a face at her and handed a few packs back to the clerk. 

"Can we go now?" Faye asked impatiently. Spike took a drag and nodded. The two got to the Bebop and started off for space, on autopilot of course. "So..you know of any good bounties?" Faye asked as they lounged in the living area. Spike picked his head up from the arm of the couch and shrugged. "Maybe…there's a rumor of a woman going around—she's known as the Black Widow. She marries the wealthiest men in the universe, get's them to leave their money to her, and they all have mysteriously died." He said.

Faye snorted. "Anyone that believes it's just coincidental should be shot." She said. Spike raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?" He asked curiously. Faye sighed and tapped the ash off of her cigarette. "Because, it's hard enough to find true love as it is, and we're supposed to believe that this woman falls in love, over and over again, with rich men no less? _Please." She explained. Spike smiled at her admission. "Not only that, she gets a shit-load of money from the insurance agencies and whatnot, which leads me to believe that they might not be dead." He reported, crossing his legs on the coffee table._

Faye pondered this for a minute. "But wouldn't the agencies need proof that they died?" she asked. Spike shook his head and smiled again. "In a couple of the cases, there was a witness who saw the guy get killed, and then, well…disposed of. Turns out, the Widow and the witness got married." Faye chuckled slightly. "It's just one big scam." She said, shaking her head. Spike shrugged and handed Faye the wanted poster. "50 million woo long for her capture?" Faye asked, looking up from the paper.

Spike nodded. "It seems a little steep for someone who _must be an amateur." Faye said, handing the paper back to Spike, who folded it and put it back in his pocket. "You seem to be forgetting Faye…these guys were billionaires, and relatives of billionaires would want the suspect brought to justice, wouldn't you agree?" Spike asked. Faye tapped her chin thoughtfully. "There seems to be something odd about this…it could be that the relatives were in line for the cash, but weren't allowed to get it because there was no written will." She said, but Spike countered her._

"But if there was no written will, then how did the Widow get the money?" The two were silent for a while. "Then again…it could just be that the family was really shaken by the whole thing and didn't want to see anyone else get hurt." Spike said casually, leaning against the back of the couch. Faye nodded. "Well…we have photos of The Widow, and the locations she's hit. We should be able to figure out where she'd be hit next." Spike continued. "Or, you could pose as a handsome, love seeking billionaire and lure her to you." Faye offered, nonchalantly hinting at how she found Spike attractive.

Spike chuckled softly. "Do I look like a billionaire to you? I'm malnourished for Godssakes." He said, and the two laughed lightly. "It was just an idea." Faye said defensively. "We'd have to get the cops involved…" Spike said, actually considering the thought. A short while later, they had decided that Spike would pose as a billionaire. The police chief wasn't exactly thrilled with the whole plan, but agreed that Spike and Faye would get all the help they needed. 

Continued next session!

                        _See you Space Cowboy…_


	2. The Widow Cometh

Black Widow, Session 2

The Widow Cometh

By: Hotaru

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…

_"Well…we have photos of The Widow, and the locations she's hit. We should be able to figure out where she'd hit next." Spike continued. "Or, you could pose as a handsome, love seeking billionaire and lure her to you." Faye offered, nonchalantly hinting at how she found Spike attractive._

_Spike chuckled softly. "Do I look like a billionaire to you? I'm malnourished for Godssakes." The two laughed lightly. "It was just an idea." Faye said defensivly. "We'd have to get the cops involved…" Spike said, actually considering the thought. A short while later, they had decided that Spike would pose as a billionaire. The police chief wasn't exactly thrilled with the whole plan, but agreed that Spike and Faye would get all the help they needed._

~^~

"Let's go over this one more time before we land." Faye said as they prepared to land on Venus. "Alright. I'm going to be Maximillian DeBarach III, son of Maximillian DeBarach II. She'll take me for DeBarach II, but later finds out from a phone call I receive that I'm his son, taking care of the house for a little while. You, my beautiful French maid Collette Saint-Claire bring us wine, chocolate-covered strawberries and all sorts of seduction foods, and I get the evidence needed to positivly ID her, cuff her, and voilà! We're 50 mil richer." Spike said, for the hundreth time.

Faye smiled, noticing that he had called her beautiful. "I believe we're ready to collect our bounty." She said, and with that, they began their decent to Venus. They had decided to meet the police chief and the crew that would assist them at the police station, so they hailed a ride and were on their way. "How am I going to pose as a billionaire?" Spike asked. Faye grinned. "They'll make you up all pretty, put on expensive jewelery, a fancy suit, some nice cologne…they know billionaires Spike, not everyone is poor like us."

Soon, they arrived at the police station and were sitting at a table with the crew. "It is of the utmost importance that we stop the Black Widow before she kills again. Our men have assured us that tonight, two hours to mid-night, she will come to the home of Maximillian DeBarach, and attempt to seduce Mr. Spiegal." The police chief began. "Mr. Spiegal—" he continued before Spike interrupted. "Ah, can you just call me Spike?" he asked, despising formalities. "Alright…Spike will be wearing a wire, so we'll be able to hear the conversation. There will be three main questions you will ask, and if she gives the answer we want, you just ah…keep her there until we get inside. Do you understand?" 

Faye and Spike nodded their heads. "Good. Ms. Valentine, you'll go with them to get prepared to be a French maid, and Mr….I mean, Spike, you'll go with them and get turned into a billionaire. Dismissed." Spike smiled at Faye as they were whisked off to different areas. "There are several aspects of being a billionaire that you must get down. For example..your hair." A quite-prissy man said, standing before Spike. Spike looked up at the mass of green and asked, "What about it?" The man sighed deeply and grabbed a comb and hair gel.

"Rich people are very sophisticated, and don't allow themselves to be seen a wreck." Spike could only grit his teeth as he was attacked by the man and the comb. "It feels like you're ripping my scalp out." Spike said, as he felt his forehead being lifted by his hair. "Well that should tell you something about how you maintain your hair, shouldn't it?" The man said, pulling some more. /I hope Faye is having a better time than I am./ Spike thought bitterly as his knuckles turned white from gripping the arm of the chair so tight.

Faye was sitting comfortably, as a wig was attached to her hair. "We're going to have to color your eye-brows in an auburn color to match the wig, but you'll be able to wash it out." A woman said, fastening the wig on. "Alright." Faye replied as she watched herself in the mirror. Make-up was applied, next came the dress. "Put this on please." The woman instructed. Faye eyed the dress cautiously. It hardly looked like a womans dress, maybe a childs, but certainly not for a full grown woman.

Somehow, Faye managed to keep everything tucked inside the dress, although there was more cleavage shown than what she normally wore. "Stockings." The woman said, giving Faye some good ol' fish-nets. "And the shoes." Finally, Faye was finished. She looked herself in the mirror and sighed. /At least I'll get a chance to see how Spike likes the way I look./ she thought, trying to convince herself it was for a good cause. "You'll have to get a French accent, so just use 'z' and 'how you say..' a lot, and you'll do fine." The woman instructed. 

A short while later, they were sent to the mansion home of the real Maximillan DeBarach II. The police had called him to let him know of the situation, and although he was royally pissed that a sting operation would be performed in his house, he concurred. Faye and Spike stayed in the kitchen while the police set up the house. Faye tried not to laugh at Spike's slicked back, gel soaked hair. "I know what you want to say, so just say it." Spike said, crossing his arms. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Faye asked innocently.

"You want to laugh at me and say how stupid I look." Spike answered. Faye laughed slightly. "Yes, I do want to laugh, but I wasn't going to say how stupid you look. It's a nice break from your usual mop of hair." She replied, pulling on her skirt. Spike peered at her with one eye. "Oh really? So you're enjoying this then?" he asked. Faye shook her head quickly. "No! Well…ah…maybe..but what about you, huh!? I know you're checking me out." She said, quickly changing the subject.

Spike slowly turned his head and eyed Faye up and down. "Did you expect me not to?" he asked. Faye grinned inwardly. "Well, I know how irresistable I am. And the whole French maid get up just adds on to the attraction." She said, crossing her legs. Spike was about to reply when the police team in charge of the operation entered the room. "Spike, Faye, we're all set. Just remember to stick to the plan, ask the questions about her past regarding husbands, ecetera ecetera, and we'll have the house surrounded, inside and out." 

Spike and Faye nodded. "Good. The Widow will be here shortly. In the mean time, pretend you're going about your daily buisness being a billionaire and his maid. Good luck." The police left, well some of them at least. The house was filled with officers hiding out, awaiting the precise moment to arrest the Black Widow. "So does this mean you have to make me dinner?" Spike, ahem, Maximillan asked. Faye shrugged. "You already know I can't cook." She replied. "But…_Collette_, you have to be able to cook."

The two went into the kitchen, where a dinner was already made. "Surprise, surprise, monsieur DeBarach." Faye said, loading on the French accent. "I 'ave already made ze dinner pour tu." Spike smiled and sat at the head of the table. "Ah, Collette, it looks _divine_!" Spike said, sounding just like some rich old man. Faye smiled, and poured a glass of wine. "Only ze best for Monsieur DeBarach." She said, bending over and placing the glass of wine in front of Spike. He swirled it around, inhaling it's rich scent deeply. "Aren't you going to eat, Collette?" Spike asked, pulling out his silver cigarette holder.

"Allow me, monsieur." Faye said, taking the case. She pulled a cigarette out, and lit it before placing it inbetween Spike's lips. "Thank you." Spike murmured. There was an awkward silence before Spike began to eat. "Please, sit down. You deserve a rest." He said, gesturing to the seat beside him. Faye sat down slowly and folded her hands. "Take some food." Spike said, or rather ordered, pointing his fork and the feast in the center of the table. Slowly, Faye did take some food, and began to eat it daintly. 

"I wonder how Jet and Ed are doing." Spike said in a low voice. "They're probably fine. Jet is sort of like a father figure to Ed." Faye replied, dropping her accent. The police obviously overheard, because Faye heard in her earpiece the scolding of the operation leader. "What do you think you're doing? Don't drop the act for one minute! You don't know what kind of operation she runs." Faye rolled her eyes. "I hope ze food is…how you say.? Delicious?" she said, picking the accent up, _again_. 

Spike finished off his wine and held the glass out. "Oh yes, it's to die for." He said as Faye went to fill his glass up. After dinner, it was only a matter of time before the widow arrived. Spike was lounging in the den, cigarette in hand. Faye was tidying up around the house, and the police had their eyes locked. The music that was the door bell played, and it made both Spike and Faye jump slightly. "I'll get it." Spike called out, just as planned. He went to the front door and opened it slowly.

"May I help you?" he asked, looking down at the woman before him. "Please excuse me, kind sir, but my car has broken down a half a mile down the road. May I be so daring as to ask to use your phone?" The woman asked. Spike opened the door and let the woman in. "It's right this way." Spike said, leading the woman to the den. "Excuse me, one moment." Spike said, escaping into the kitchen. He and Faye were silent, listening to the police chief_. "She's not calling anyone, just a dead number. She's talking, but no one is on the other end….alright, she's off."_

A short while later, Spike returned to the den. "It'll be a little while before they come to pick up my car." The woman, who was positivly I.D.'d as the Widow, said. "Alright. Would you like a drink?" Spike asked suavely. "Yes, please." The Widow said. "Collette." Spike called. Faye entered and bowed her head. "I zid not know Monsieur DeBarach had company." She said, smiling slightly. "Collette, bring us some wine and hors d'ouerves." Spike said, sitting on the couch beside the woman.

"What a wonderful home you have." The Widow said, glancing around the room. "Thank you. Collette keeps it in top-shape." Spike replied. "Where is your wife? Out for the evening?" The Widow asked, beginning to weave her web. Spike chuckled lightly. "My wife? I'm afraid I haven't been that fortunate." He replied. "Oh…I just thought that a handsome man such as yourself wouldn't be single." The Widow said. Spike chuckled again. "If only other woman believed that much of me." He said.

Spike drummed his fingers on the arm of the leather sofa. Faye entered, carrying a silver platter with two glasses of wine and a plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries. "Please forgive me, Master DeBarach." Faye said, placing the tray on an end table. She handed a glass to Spike and Widow and smiled. "I hope ze strawberries are frezh." Spike winked and said, "I'm sure they are Collette. You have a keen eye for wonderful things." Faye flushed slightly but smiled. "Zank you sir. Pleaze, excuse me." She said, backing into the kitchen.

"Cheers." Spike said, clinking his glass against the widows. "Ah, of course. Cheers." The widow said, taking a dainty sip of her wine. "Would you..like a strawberry?" Spike asked, putting the tray in between them. The Widow smiled, quite devilishly in fact and nodded. Spike listened to the instructions given to him by the police chief. Doing as told, he picked up a strawberry and held it in front of the Widow's lips. "_Wait until she opens her mouth_." Closing her eyes, the Widow opened her mouth. Spike fed her the strawberry and smirked. 

"Mmm…" The Widow moaned, opening her eyes again. "How delicious." She said, picking up a strawberry and offering it to Spike. "No thank you, I'm allergic to strawberries." Spike said. The Widow seemed taken back. "But…I don't understand. Why did you ask your maid to bring them then?" She asked. Spike smiled. "Well…even though I have no idea how chocolate-dipped strawberries taste, I know that everyone else enjoys them. How could I be sure you'd like what I like?" he asked. 

_"You don't sound like a millionaire, Spiegal!" _The police chief said warningly. "But, Mr. DeBarach…I don't want you to go through any trouble for little ol' me." The Widow said. Spike smiled and took a sip of his wine. "Please Ms…what did you say your name was?" Spike asked. "Oh..I never did tell you my name. It's Caterine Anne Moiley Orion the fourth." "_Bingo! That's one of the Widow's many alias. Hang in there Spike, we've almost got her."_

Spike smiled. "That's quite a long name, Caterine." He said, shifting closer to the widow. "Thank you. My husband used to call me Kitty Cat." She said, getting solemn. "Your husband?" Spike asked. The Widow looked away. "My…late husband, Cid Binrailey. He was a wonderful, wonderful man." "_Cid Binrailey, that's one of the billionaires she's killed. Keep it up Spike!"_ The police chief said, sounding excited. "I'm sorry..it's so painful when you lose a loved one, isn't it?" Spike said, placing a hand on the Widow's shoulder.

She nodded and placed her glass of wine on a table. "I feel like a disease sometimes, Mr. DeBarach." The Widow said tearfully. "Please…call me Max." Spike said, putting on his sympathetic face. "Alright, Max..you wouldn't have any idea what kind of life I've had. I've been married three times..and all three times, my husbands died. The doctors said it was from natural causes but…how am I supposed to believe that?! I'm like a parasite.." Spike put his glass of wine on the table and embraced the Widow. 

"Caterine..don't be silly. You couldn't have possibly had anything to do with the death of your husbands. You know…it could always be that they couldn't handle a woman of your calibur. Perhaps they were stressed over the fact that they thought they didn't deserve you and died because of it." Spike said, touching the Widow's hair. Faye was watching Spike and the Widow through the key hole, and she couldn't help but feel sad when Spike touched the Widow. _/Even though I know this is all an act…I can't help feeling betrayed./_ Faye thought.

_/She reminds me of Julia../_ Spike mused, being taken in by her charm for a moment as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Thank you Max..it's nice to know that you're not afraid of me." The Widow said, pressing her cheek against Spike's hand. Spike chuckled slightly. "Now why would I have a reason to be afraid of you, my dear?" he asked. The phone rang, causing Faye to nearly fall into the door. She ran and got the phone quickly. "Hello?" 

"Hello Collette, this is Master DeBarach II, is Max there?" It was _the_ DeBarach.

"Ah, bonsoir monsieur! I will get him!"

Faye brought the phone into the den and said, "Monsieur, it is your fah-zer." She handed Spike the phone and went back into the kitchen. "Hello father…yes, yes, I am well. As a matter of fact, I _do_ have company…a few more days? Yes, we'll be alright, as long as Collette continues to make her _fabulous_ meals…alright, goodnight father." Spike hung up the phone and sighed. "Who was that? Your father?" The Widow asked.

"Yes, Maximillian DeBarach the second. He's away on buisness and asked me to take care of the house while he was gone." Spike said, sitting back down on the couch. "I didn't know he had a son. I hear about your father all the time on the news, but it was never mentioned that he had a son." The Widow said. Spike raised his eyebrows. "Really? You'd think I'd be mentioned, seeing how I'll be getting his company and stocks when he passes." He said, looking at the ceiling. _"Very smart Spiegal. Almost caught her!"_

The Widow slid on the couch over to Spike and smiled. "They should be coming to get my car soon. I'd really like to…get to know you better." She said, tracing her finger along Spike's jawline. "Ah..I'll be here for a few more days. My father got held up, so I'll be watching the house, the money, the fine furniture, ecetera ecetera." Spike said, waving his hand. The Widow smiled again. "I'd love to see the rest of the house. My husbands have always been rich, but they never did anything good with their money. I was forced to make use of that money in a positive way." The Widow said.

_"That's it! We got her! We're coming in now Spike, hold on."_ The police chief nearly screamed. Spike could only nod, and the police charged into the room and grabbed the Widow. "What's the meaning of this?! Max, do something!" The Widow cried. Spike stood up and ruffled his hair, re-gaining his long-lost fro. "Sorry, Black Widow, I'm not Maximillian DeBarach III." He said, pulling out a cigarette. "Spike Spiegal, experienced bountry hunter at your service." He continued, offering her his hand. 

The Widow's lip quivered slightly. "But…this can't be!" She exclaimed as the cops dragged her off. "Call me the next time there's a bounty on your head." Spike called, turning to see Faye. "Congratulations, Spike. You pulled off being sophisticated." She said smugly, pulling the cigarette from his lips and bringing it to her own. Spike chuckled softly. "And _you_ pulled off being a French maid walking on five inch heels. I commend you, Miss Valentine." He said as they headed into the kitchen to collect their bounty. 

"It's not an easy task, I'll tell you that much!" Faye said, rubbing her calves. "Great job, Spike, Faye. Come on down to the station and we'll discuss the bounty." The police chief said, patting them each on the back. "Discuss? What's to discuss? You give us the 50 mil, we leave, end of story." Faye said, sensing they weren't going to get quite that much money. 

~^~

Back in their normal clothes at the station house, Spike and Faye were seated in front of the police chief's desk. "Now…the bounty for the Black Widow was at 50 million woolong. Buuuutt…seeing how you needed our help, and we assisted, as did the _real_ Maximillian DeBarach, we had our expenses." Spike and Faye growled lowly. "Get to the point, chief. Just how much of a deduction are we talking here?" Spike asked, leaning forward. The chief sighed and wiped his brow. 

"The most you're gonna get, with taxes and what not…is 350,000 woolong." Spike and Faye simultaniously jumped up from their seats. "What the hell do you mean the most we're gonna get!? We practically nabbed this _billionaire_ murderer and we get a measly 350,000 woolong!? You can kiss my ass for _that_ price!" Faye screamed, putting her foot on the desk. "Please, Miss Valentine! Believe me, we tried to bargain with those offering the bounty, but they wouldn't go any higher." The Police Chief said, folding his hands. 

Spike's eyes glinted. "Fine, we'll go and bargain ourselves. Give us their coordinates and we'll leave peacefully." He offered, crossing his arms. "Please, Mr. Spiegal…"

Spike pointed his gun at the chief and shook his head. "We're not going to bargain with _you_ sir. Give us the coordinates." He ordered. Grumbling, the chief handed them the information and said, "There, now bring any trouble here and we'll have you arrested." Spike and Faye left the station quickly before they were charged with assault. 

Continued Next Session…

                                                                                                _NOW WE'RE EVEN… _


	3. Bounty Ho!

Black Widow, Session 3  
Bounty Ho!  
By: Hotaru 

  
_/thoughts/_  
"speech"  
~^~ time passed

_Last time  
"The most you're gonna get, with taxes and what notis 350,000 woolong." Spike and Faye simultaneously jumped up from their seats. "What the hell do you mean the most we're gonna get!? We practically nabbed this billionaire murderer and we get a measly 350,000 woolong!? You can kiss my ass for that price!" Faye screamed, putting her foot on the desk. "Please, Miss Valentine! Believe me, we tried to bargain with those offering the bounty, but they wouldn't go any higher." The Police Chief said, folding his hands. _

_Spike's eyes glinted. "Fine, we'll go and bargain ourselves. Give us their coordinates and we'll leave peacefully." He offered, crossing his arms. "Please, Mr. Spiegel" Spike pointed his gun at the chief and shook his head. "We're not going to bargain with you sir. Give us the coordinates." He said, or rather ordered. Grumbling, the chief handed them the information and said, "There, now bring any trouble here and we'll have you arrested." Spike and Faye left the station quickly before they were charged with assault._

~^~

Spike and Faye returned to the Bebop for a brief intermission of haggling. "I'm going to wash this crap outta my hair. Then we can leave." Spike said, motioning to his hair. Faye nodded and flopped onto the couch. _/I guess I could call Jet and Ed to see how they're doing./_ Faye thought before getting up and heading to the cockpit.

There was no answer at their hotel suite, so Faye left a message at the front desk. Spike finally emerged, his hair back in its natural form. "Ready to go?" he asked. Faye nodded and they set off for the nearest family of the victims. "So how do you think this is going to work out?" Spike asked as they walked down the streets of Venus. Faye shrugged and puffed on her cigarette. "I don't know..if we wave a gun in their face, they'll probably give us some moneybut then they'll call the cops and have us arrested." She said with a sigh.

Spike chuckled softly. "Have a little faith in yourself, and me for that matter." He said as they neared the billionaire district of Farfalia. "Gee Spike..you wouldn't happen to have experience haggling rich folk would you?" Faye asked with a sly grin. Spike looked up at the sky and smirked. "That's for me to know, and you not to find out." He replied. They were silent for a while before Faye decided to mention calling Earth. 

"I called to check how Jet and Ed are doing." She said, flicking her used up cigarette into the street.  
"Is that so? So how are they?" Spike asked.  
"I don't know. They weren't in the suite so I left a message at the front desk."  
"Oh..they were probably out eating or something." As if on cue, Spike's stomach grumbled.

Faye laughed slightly. "Just the mere mention of food makes you hungry, huh?" She said teasingly. "Not just that. The food I ate at the mansion was disgusting." Spike said nonchalantly. Faye burst out laughing at his casual tone. "Then why did you eat so much of it?" she asked. Spike smiled as a mansion loomed into view. "Usually, the more you eat, the easier it is to throw it up afterwards." 

"No wonder you're so thin-you're bulimic!" Faye said as they stopped at the gate. "Not quite." Spike replied before pressing the button on the intercom. "May I help you?" An elderly gentleman asked. "We're here to see the Master of the house, regarding the death of a family member." Spike said, leaning against the stone wall. "One moment please." The old man said, disappearing from the vid-screen. "You think they'll let us in?" Spike asked in a low voice.

Faye shrugged. "I sure hope so." She said. The man returned and said, "The Master is very busy but will see you now. Please, come in." The iron gates opened and Spike and Faye walked up the large stone walkway to the front doors of the mansion. That same elderly man opened the door and led them down a hall. "Geez, look at this place." Faye said, marveling at the luxurious hallway filled with expensive looking paintings and furniture.

"Master Fontaine." The man said, pushing open the door. Spike and Faye entered the room, or office rather. A man sat behind a cluttered desk with his hands folded. "Filmore tells me you need to talk about my son." The man, the victim's father, said. Spike and Faye sat in the leather seats and nodded. "Yes sir. Have you heard that the murderer was captured?" Spike asked, leaning forward. The man nodded. "I have. What about it?" he asked.

Spike sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well sir, we are the two people responsible for the murderers capture." He said. Mr. Fontaine closed his eyes. "Thank you. It brings the entire family much relief to know that a murderer will be brought to justice..my son's murderer." He said weakly. There was silence, before Faye sighed and decided to ask for the money. "Listen Fontaine, we caught her, and the cops say we'll only get W 350,000. The bounty on this woman's head was W 60 billion. Now, you seem like an educated man, so tell me: does this seem logical, or fair?"

Fontaine sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Madame, there are circumstances that forced my family to decrease the reward by a substantial amount. My son died, Madame, and there are expenses to be paid." He said tiredly. Faye jumped out of her sear. "Like what?! How much could a funeral and burial possibly cost!? That's chump change for a billionaire like you!" she exclaimed. Spike put a hand on her elbow and shook his head. Fontaine sighed again. "My son was a very generous man. He bought me this house, bought me happiness. I cannot work in the condition I am in, so he helped me pay the bills and everything else I needed."

Spike peered at the man. "Are you saying that because your son died, you can't pay the bills?" he asked. Fontaine nodded. "In a crude manner of speaking, yes. He was my money source, son. Now that he's gone, I've fallen ill, and medical bills are piling up and I have no way to pay them except to borrow from the bank." He continued. Faye huffed. "Well gee Gramps, here's an idea! Sell this mansion of yours and go to a retirement home!" she exclaimed. "I can pay you W 2 million. But please..just leave me alone."

Spike put his boot on the chair and said, "3 million." Fontaine sighed, but nodded. Faye had to refrain from squealing. /Three million woolong! Oh man! This is so great. If we go to all the other families of the victims, we'll be rich!/ She thought as Fontaine called for someone to bring them the money. A short while later, 3 million woolong was stuffed into 3 attaché cases, and Spike and Faye were heading back to the BeBop. 

~^~ 

One attaché was being reserved for Jet, Ed and Ein. The other two belonged to Spike and Faye. Spike had escaped to his room with his suitcase, and Faye stayed in the living room area to count hers. "999,998one million woolong." She sighed, replacing the money and closing the attaché case. She headed to Spike's room to ask about dinner. The door was open just enough for her to see inside.

The attaché case was sitting beside Spike on the bed, and Spike was staring at a picture of Julia, his fingers resting on it. He sighed and put the picture back on his nightstand and put his hands on his head. Faye pushed the door open and said, "Hey Spike, wanna get some dinner?" Spike looked up and smiled. "Sure. That'd be nice." He said, grabbing his coat from a chair. "Know any good places to eat around here?" Faye asked as they wandered around the dark city. 

"Nope. Can't remember if I've even been to Venus before." Spike replied, looking into restaurants they passed by. "Well I want to eat at a good place this time. None of that watered down soup and shitty sandwiches for me." Faye replied. "Oh hey! Look at that place! That looks fancy enough." Faye said, pointing to a restaurant across the street. "FayeI think that's a lounge." Spike said dryly. Faye grinned and grabbed Spike by the arm. "Ah so what! It'll be fun, come on!" She said, pulling him into the restaurant.

The lounge was filled with cigarette and cigar smoke with the scent of alcohol lingering in the air. Spike and Faye took a few steps inside before a man approached them. "Table for two?" he asked. Faye nodded, looking around. "Would you like to be close to the stage?" the man continued. "Ah, yeah sure." Faye answered. The man nodded and led them to a table that was indeed close to the stage. "Here are some menus. Please, take your time." The waiter said. Spike sighed deeply before opening the maroon colored menu.

"Geez! This place is so expensive!" Faye said, skimming the menu. Spike shook his head, adding, "The cheapest thing on here is ice for your drink." 

"We should celebrate though. Our first bounty without Jet and Ed." Faye said, not looking up. Spike smiled crookedly. "Is that so? Well I don't know, Faye. As soon as we spend money here, we won't be millionaires anymore." He said. Faye chuckled. "Come on Spike, we'll get plenty more money as soon as we visit the other families. Why don't we just enjoy the money while it's still fresh!" She looked back at her menu, deciding on what to get.

Spike smiled and nodded. "I didn't know money could go stale, but what ever you say Faye." He said, raising his hand to get the waiter's attention. "I'll have the meal du jour with a Jupiter cocktail please." Spike said, handing the man his menu. "And I'll have the seafood delight with a Midnight Sun please." Faye said, folding her hands. Spike raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to be downing shots all night are you?" He asked. Faye shrugged. "I don't know, depends how well you keep me entertained." She replied with a sly smile.

"Ladies and Gentleman, introducing Branston Eyrie, our singer for this evening." A voice announced. A man came onto the stage with a guitar and stood in front of the microphone. The lights dimmed until the only light was from the candles on the tables and the light on Branston. 

_We couldn't say them  
So now we just pray them  
Words that we couldn't say_

As Branston began to sing and strum his guitar, Faye's eyes wandered to Spike. He seemed to be watching the performance intently, his chin cupped in one hand with his elbow resting on the table. Faye sighed and looked back at the stage. 

_Funny ain't it  
Games people play  
Scratch it paint it  
One in the same_

_/Now that I think about it, this place is kind of depressing. Not a breath of fresh air, nor a sober person amongst us./_ Faye mused. 

_We couldn't find them  
So we tried to hide them  
Words that we couldn't say_

The song reminded Faye of her relationship with Spike-she was always worried about saying something stupid, or giving her feelings away. And SpikeGod only knows what he was thinking half the time. The waiter set down the two drinks with napkins and said, "Your food shall be ready in a short while." 

_It hurts don't it  
Fools on parade  
Taint it own it  
Chase it away_

As Faye listened to the lyrics, she began to sink into deep thought. It almost seemed as if this "Branston" was living inside her head, exploiting her every thought and fear and using it in his music. Faye shivered at the thought and took a small sip of her drink. She caught Branston's glance and shivered again as his amber eyes pierced her soul. 

_We couldn't make them  
So we had to break them  
Words that we couldn't say_

_Sometimes baby  
We make mistakes  
Dark and hazy  
Prices we pay_

Faye reached clumsily for her drink and gulped it down, slamming the glass on the table, making Spike jump. "Whoa, Faye, you okay?" He asked. Faye nodded weakly and pulled out a cigarette. "You don't look so good." Spike commented, reaching forward and putting his hand on Faye's forehead. "Mm..no fever. Maybe we should get some fresh air." Spike suggested, standing up. Faye nodded and stood up, glancing back at Branston. 

  
_I sit here on my shelf  
Just talking to myself  
Words that we couldn't say_

_Someday maybe  
We'll make it right  
Until that day  
Long endless nights_

Faye followed Spike outside quickly, sighing deeply at the brisk evening air. After taking a few deep breaths, she felt better. "Told ya you'd feel better." Spike said, leaning against the wall of the lounge. Faye smiled and nodded. "I guess I should listen to you more often, huh?" she replied. Spike chuckled softly. "I keep telling people they'd be a lot better off if they'd just listen to me!" he said, putting his hands in his pockets. 

"You ready to go back in?" Spike asked, looking down at Faye. "Uh, yeah, I guess so. Our food is probably done anyway." She said finally, pulling open the door of the lounge. Faye grimaced, for Branston was still onstage, singing that blasted song. Luckily, however, it was over. With the final strum of the strings, Branston winked at Faye before exiting the stage. Faye shivered as they sat back at their table, where their food was waiting. The two sat down and began eating, quite quickly, for they hadn't eaten since they were on Earth.

Faye ordered a few more shots of Midnight Sun while they were eating. "You're not going to get drunk are you?" Spike asked wearily. Faye looked up from her plate of seafood and noodles. "What do you mean?" She asked, tapping her plate with her fork. Spike eyed the plate of shots that had just been set down on the table. "You know what I mean. You're going to get drunk, and I'm going to have to carry you all the way back to the BeBop." He retorted. Faye chuckled slightly. "Ah, Spike, don't you worry about me. I can hold my fair share of liquor." 

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Jet and Ed were eating at a kiddy-restaurant, much to Ed's delight. Every five minutes, she's run to the table, eat for a minute, then go back to playing, leaving Jet alone. "Cute kid." A woman at the next table over said. Jet looked over at the longhaired brunette and replied, "Thanks, but she's not mine." The woman smiled. "Sister? Niece? Cousin?" The woman asked. Jet shook his head three times. "Nope. We're just ship-mates." He said. The woman nodded. "Ah, I see. So where's your ship?" she asked

Jet smirked. "Up in space somewhere. My two friends decided to go do some ah..work since they didn't like Earth very much." He replied, not wanting to mention the whole bounty-hunter bit. "Oh, and they left you all alone to take care of" the woman said. "Ed." Jet said quickly. The woman raised an eyebrow. "Ed? Isn't that a boy's name?" She asked. Jet chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. But she named herself, so I guess it doesn't matter to her." He said, shifting in his seat to better see the woman.

"Oh my, I've forgotten to introduce myself! Sorry about that, my name's Daisy." The woman said, sticking out her hand. Jet shook it and said, "I'm Jet, Jet Black. Nice to meet you." Ed ran over to the table and jumped over Jet and Daisy to sit in her chair. "Did Jet make a new friend?" Ed asked, putting two french fries in the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, Ed, this is Daisy, Daisy this is-"

"Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the fourth." Edward said, jumping up and sitting on the table. "Oh my, that's quite a long name." Daisy said as Ed swung her arms back and forth. "Edward made it up, isn't it cooool??" Ed said before hopping back over Jet and running back to play. Daisy giggled slightly as Jet ran his hand over his head. "We've been here for three hours, and she still hasn't finished eating yet." He sighed. Daisy smiled. "Well perhaps you and I could take a walk while Ed plays." 

Jet blushed ever so slightly. "Uhsure, ok..I guess. I'll go let her know." He said, getting up and walking over to where Ed was currently hanging from the ceiling. "Hey Ed. Me and Daisy are gonna go for a walk, okay? Stay here and playand eat until we get back, ok?" Ed grinned widely. "Jet has a girlfriend! Jet has a girlfriend!" She sang, while hopping along the playing apparatus. Jet sighed deeply and pulled a cigarette to his mouth. "Kids can be so immature sometimes." He muttered.

Daisy smiled and followed Jet out of the restaurant. "So uh..you live here on Earth?" Jet asked, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth. "Yes, actually. I moved back into the house I grew up in. My parents are too old to make a living and need someone to take care of them and I wasn't about to let some stranger do it." Daisy replied, looking up at the sky. "I guess it's nice to have a permanent home, huh?" Jet remarked, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Sure, it's nice..but I can't imagine how your life has been. Flying around the galaxy, never knowing where the new day is going to take you."

Jet smiled. "You seem like an adventurous woman. How'd you like to visit my ship sometime? I'll take you anywhere you want to go." He offered, flicking some ash off of his cigarette. Daisy smiled and blushed slightly. "I don't know..I wouldn't want to leave my parents alone." She said softly. Jet sighed deeply and frowned. "Ohwell, if you ever change your mind, the offers always open." He said. They walked silently for a while before turning around and heading back to the restaurant. 

There was a loud roar over head, and Jet barely had time to react when a meteorite crashed onto the Earth only a small distance in front of them. He turned and knocked Daisy to the floor, protecting her with his body as a shield. A few moments later, he opened his eyes. "Wowthat was close." Daisy whispered. Jet nodded and leaned back on his knees so she could get up. "Sorry 'bout that. Ah.." Jet stumbled, catching the scent of wild flowers. "Oh no, you shouldn't apologize! You saved my life!" Daisy exclaimed, dusting off her dress.

He could only blush as he helped her up. "Well what kind of a man would I be if I didn't?" he asked. Daisy smiled and took his hand in hers. "Not a very nice one." She replied. They looked at the crater that the meteorite made before heading back to the restaurant. "These meteorites are getting closer and closer to me each day." Daisy remarked, sounding worried. Jet smirked. "Another disadvantage to living on Earth. Spike and Faye were right..this is no vacation." He grumbled, placing a hand on his bald head.

"Who?" Daisy asked, apparently hearing Jet's grumblings. "Huh? Oh, ah, my other shipmates. They're the ones who decided to go into space, remember?" He said quickly. Daisy nodded. "Earth can be a fun placeat least that's what I remember. I moved to Mars when I was eighteen and wellI hadn't visited Earth since then. My parents weren't exactly thrilled about my running away, but they were glad to have me back." She said as the restaurant loomed into view. "So you ran away huh?" Jet remarked, tossing his burnt out cigarette into the street.

Daisy nodded. "Yep, over a man." Jet raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?" Daisy laughed slightly. "Yes, a man. Hegot me pregnant and when my parents found out, they went ballistic and refused to let me see him. I still loved him, so we moved to Mars together. Needless to say, it didn't work out." She explained as Jet pulled the door of the restaurant open. "I'm sorry to hear that." Jet said, although he really wasn't. It'd been a long time since he'd been with a lady. "After living on Mars, and after he left me, I realized that I couldn't support myself and a child alone, so I sent her to Earth."

They sat back at the tables and watched the children play. "She was so little when I sent her to Earth that she didn't know who I was when I came back. She just found out a day ago who I was, much to my parents dismay." Daisy continued. Jet sighed. "Did they tell her she was their daughter or.." Daisy nodded. "She believed themchildren always believe their parents. I think she hates me." Jet put his hand on Daisy's shoulder. "Now why do you think that?" He asked. Daisy covered her mouth and sobbed slightly.

"She's old enough to let her mind jump to conclusions-she yelled at me yesterday. She said that I abandoned her, and that I didn't love her..and that if I cared at all about her, I'd leave her alone." Jet frowned. "How old is she?" he asked. "Eleven..she's smart, though. My parents told me she's at the top of her class, and has been for years. Oh Jet, I don't know a damn thing about my own daughter!" Jet's eyes shifted to the side. He had no idea what to do. "Listen, DaisyI'm not sure how to handle these types of situations.." he stumbled.

Daisy slid into Jet's arms and cried silently. _/How did I get myself into this mess?/ _

  
Back at the bar on Venus, Faye had downed around twenty shots and was mumbling many things that made Spike a tad nervous. There was another performer on stage, but Spike was quite bored. "Yuu know Shpike" Faye slurred, barely able to keep her eyes open. Spike turned his head slightly. "What?" he asked as Faye held a shot glass shakily in the air. "You're ::hic:: handsome, tough and don't take no shit from nobodythat's why I like ya Shhhhpike." She then proceeded to laugh uncontrollably, but managed to down a shot.

"Faye, you're drunk. Can we please leave now?" Spike asked impatiently. "Awwwain't you the cutest little peanut I never did.ever didsee." And with that, Faye slumped to the ground, bringing the table down with her. Spike cursed under his breath as all the glasses shattered on the floor. "Son of a bitch!" Spike spat, grabbing Faye off the floor. "Wait..hehe..waithehhe, wait!" Faye said, giggling slightly as Spike started to run out of the lounge. Faye tossed a couple of woolong at the bartender and whispered to Spike, "Now we're even."

Spike smirked and ran out of the lounge, being followed by a few people. "Hey you punk! Get back here!" Someone shouted. Spike only ran faster, wishing he had a gas grenade or something else that would slow down their pursuers. "Hey Spi~i~ike" Faye said, her voice bouncing as Spike's feet pounded the pavement. "Yeah, Faye?" Spike asked. "I love yo~u." Faye said, grinning from ear to ear, before passing out against Spike's shoulder. 

_SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY_  



	4. Love Blooms a Daisy

Black Widow, Session 4

Love Blooms a Daisy

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…
    
    _"Faye, you're drunk. Can we please leave now?" Spike asked impatiently. "Awww…ain't you the cutest little peanut I never did….ever
    did…see." And with that, Faye slumped to the ground, bringing the table down with her. Spike cursed under his breath as all the
    glasses shattered on the floor. "Son of a bitch!" Spike spat, grabbing Faye off the floor. "Wait..wait…heehhe, wait!" Faye said,
    giggling slightly as Spike started to run out of the lounge. Faye tossed a couple of woolong at the bartender and whispered to Spike,
    "Now we're even."_

Spike smirked and ran out of the lounge, being followed by a few people. "Hey you punk! Get back here!" Someone shouted. Spike only ran faster, wishing he had a gas grenade or something else that would slow down their pursuers. "Hey Spi~i~ike…" Faye said, her voice bouncing as Spike's feet pounded the pavement. "Yeah, Faye?" Spike asked. "I love yo~u." Faye said, grinning from ear to ear, before passing out against Spike's shoulder.
    
    And now…

The Bebop was currently docked at a small port on Venus. Faye was sleeping in a puddle of her own drool and Spike was watching Big Shot. "Did you hear? The infamous Black Widow, who was wanted for murdering billionaires was finally caught!" The bouncy blond, Judy exclaimed. "No kidding!" Punch exclaimed in his all-too-fake accent. "Yup! Just today, two mysterious bounty hunters brought her in and claimed their prize. But don't fret, bounty hunters of the universe, cause there's another hefty bounty just itchin' to be collected!"

Spike turned the screen off and sighed. _/I'd forgotten about Roco and Stella…has it really been that long?/_ Spike asked himself, puffing on a cigarette. The sound of Faye running into the bathroom to retch her guts out disrupted Spike's thoughts. He silently got off the couch and went to the bathroom. "Hey Faye, you okay in there?" he asked, knocking on the door. A low moan replied. "I'm gonna open the door, okay?" Spike warned. "Mm-hmm." Faye grumbled. Spike opened the door and sighed.

"I told you not to drink so much." He said, crossing his arms. Faye glared at him before resting her head on the toilet seat. "Well I obviously wasn't listening to you." She grumbled. Spike grabbed a washcloth, wet it, and handed it to Faye. "Thanks." She said, wiping her face, only to throw up once again. "Do you remember Roco Bannero? He was with Piccaro Calvino and his goons." Spike asked. Faye wiped her face again and crawled up from the floor. "Yeah..he was your student, right _Master_?" she replied, rinsing her mouth out at the sink.

Spike smirked. "I totally forgot I'd even been to Venus. I bet it'd make Roco sad if he knew his old Master had forgotten about him." He mused. Faye nodded and rested her head against the towel rack. "Maybe he'd be more understanding if he knew what you were up to. Running ladies out of bars for example." She commented. Spike nodded. "I should probably find Stella and give her a little visit. Who knows if I'll ever go to Venus again." Faye pushed herself off the wall and staggered into the hall. 

"You do that. I'm gonna lay back down." She said, before losing her balance. Naturally, Spike caught her before she fell to the floor and there was an awkward silence between them. "Ah, Spike?" Faye asked, still leaning against Spike. "Yeah Faye?" Spike asked, helping to stand her up straight. "Did I…say anything, um..weird tonight?" She asked, blushing slightly. Spike grinned and shook his head. "Nothing aside from your babbling about the stage performer. You said he was stalking you." He replied, deciding to keep Faye's admittings secret. 

Faye chuckled slightly. "Oh…he was watching me the entire time you know. He probably had a crush on me or something." She said, starting to walk to her room. "Here, let me help you. You're still not yourself." Spike said, slipping one arm around Faye's waist and the other in her hand. "I'm fi…ne." Faye said, staggering slightly, and holding a hand to her mouth. "No you're not. Why won't you just let me help you?" Spike asked. Faye huffed. "Because, Spike, I don't like taking help from people unless I need it." She said, climbing into bed.

"Well," Spike began, grabbing a small garbage pail, "You need help, Faye. You're drunk off your ass and puking your guts out to boot." Faye growled and pulled her blankets tight against her body. "I don't need help." She warned as Spike sat on her bed. "Whatever. Look, there's a bucket right here in case you gotta puke again. I'm gonna get some sleep, but if you call me, I'll come." He said. Faye tried to shove Spike off of her bed, but he caught her hands. "Jesus Faye, your hands are ice cold." Spike said, shivering slightly.

Faye blushed as Spike took her hands in his and blew on them slowly to warm them up. "You…really don't have to." Faye said, unable to meet Spike's eyes. "Shh, go to sleep." Spike whispered, rubbing Faye's hands gently. "But…" Faye's eyes closed before she could utter another word and she drifted to sleep. Spike sat and admired the woman before him_. /Son of a bitch. Maybe being alone in space with Faye wasn't such a good idea after all..Jet, Ed and Ein aren't here to distract my thoughts…and now those thoughts are on Faye…shit./_

Spike sauntered into his own room and after washing up, he crawled under the blankets. Despite how much he wanted to sleep, he just couldn't. He kept seeing Faye laying there, her cheeks flushed, hands cold as he held them in his own. Spike tossed and turned almost all night, finally falling asleep as the sun began to rise. 

~^~

Spike woke with a pain in his stomach. It even hurt to get out of bed_. /Must have been that stupid lounge food./_ he thought to himself disgustedly. _/Maybe a shower will do me some good/._ While Spike was in the shower, Faye was just returning to the ship. "Spike?" She called out, hearing the water running. "Yeah?" Spike called back. Faye set the large bag she was holding on the living room table and replied, "I was just making sure it was you. I bought some food."

"I don't even want to think about food right now." Faye's eyes widened slightly. "Why? What's wrong, are you sick?" Faye asked, walking down to the bathroom. "I think so. That lounge food must have been really old. I _never_ get sick." Spike said. Faye frowned. "I'm sorry I dragged you in there, then. Did you try throwing it up?" Spike chuckled. "Yes, I did in fact. Nothing would come up. I guess it's too far digested or something."

Faye smirked. "Let me know when you're done, I have something that might help you." She said before going to put her things away. Spike could only imagine what sort of thing Faye would have to help him. _/Better not be her "monthly pain" medicine/_ Spike thought wearily. He got out of the shower quickly and wrapped a towel around his slender waist. "Yo Faye, I'm done!" he called while drying his hair. Faye walked down to the bathroom and handed Spike a small pill. Without questioning, he took it and swallowed it.

"So what'd you give me?" Spike asked. Faye smirked and told him. "A laxative." Spike's eyes widened before he coughed the thing back up and spit it into the toilet. "Faye! What the hell are you giving me a laxative for?!" he exclaimed angrily as Faye was walking away from him. "Because, Spike, it's the only way you're going to feel better. The best thing to do is get the food out of your system before it does any more damage." She said before disappearing through a door. 

Spike grumbled all the way back to his room and sat on the bed while drying off. He was going to visit Stella that day to try to get away from Faye for awhile. _/I just hope my stomach feels better by the time I'm ready to go/_ Spike thought as he began to get dressed. He headed towards the "kitchen" and peeked into the grocery bag on the table. _/It would so figure that we actually have good food when I don't even want to eat. Tch./_ He thought angrily, clutching his stomach. "Aw, poor Spike still isn't better yet, huh?" Faye said, poking her head into the room.

He merely glared upwards at his shipmate before heading outside. "Hey! Where are you going?" Faye exclaimed. "I've got some things to take care of while we're still on Venus." Spike replied, heading down the busy streets. Faye sighed and watched Spike's retreating figure longingly.

Meanwhile on Earth, Jet was getting familiar with Daisy, much to his delight. Ed started to complain about being bored, so Daisy invited them to her home. "I know it's kind of soon but I'd really like if you came over." Jet couldn't refuse, and they were on their way. Ed was playing with Daisy's daughter, Lola, in the back seat. "Y'know Daisy…I thought the only people crazy enough to live on Earth were hackers who messed around with communication satellites." Jet said.

"Yes, that's true. The other percent are people who either can't afford to leave Earth or who just don't want to. My parent's fit in both those categories..they still think of Earth as the right place to be, you know?" Daisy explained. Jet nodded and flinched as a meteorite crashed onto Earth somewhere in the distance. "Hm..but aren't they afraid that a meteorite would crash into their house eventually?" he asked, glancing back at Ed and Lola. Daisy smiled. "Not really for their sake. They're ready to die, but it's Lola they're worried about."

"That's part of the reason I came back to Earth to live with them. They don't want to die with Lola at home, because then she'd be there all alone. I guess I'm just there to take over where I left off." She continued, glancing back at Lola. "When your parent's do…pass, are you going to move back to space?" Jet asked as a house loomed into view. Daisy paused for a moment. "I'm not sure. I'm waiting for the right time to ask Lola about it." She answered finally. The car pulled to a stop.

Jet and Daisy climbed out of the car, Lola and Ed following suite. Lola pulled Ed towards the house, ignoring Daisy. "I guess I'll introduce you to my parents." Daisy said with a sigh. _/This seems to be moving awfully fast. I wonder what she's going to do next../_ Jet followed Daisy inside, feeling out of place in the homey atmosphere. Doileys and curtains as far as the eye could see. Sunlight filtered into the house making a odd shape on the floor. "Jet? What's the matter?" Daisy asked as Jet continued to look around.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. I'm fine." Jet said quickly, following Daisy into the next room where two elderly people sat. The woman was apparantly knitting and the man was nodding off. "Mom, Dad?" Daisy said, trying to get their attention. "Where's Lola?" the woman immediately asked. "In her room, I assume.." Daisy answered slowly. The woman snapped her head up and barked. "Don't assume! Go find out!" Jet panicked when Daisy left him in the room alone. "Well…she's found herself another Ariton, has she?" the woman sneered.

Jet backed into the wall. It wasn't like him to be afraid of anyone, especially an old woman with fuzzy slippers. "Ah…I'm just a friend of Daisy's, ma'me. I've got no bad intentions." Jet said cautiously. The woman peered at Jet a little longer before going back to her knitting. "She's a bad seed. I'd suggest you just leave this place." The woman snipped. Luckily for Jet, Daisy came back. "She's in her room, as I thought." She reported with a slight attitude. "Thinking isn't your strong point." The woman said.

Daisy pulled Jet out of the room and sighed again. "I'm sorry to have left you alone with her. Did she say anything?" She asked. Jet chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that woman was senile." He said jokingly. "She is." Daisy replied seriously. "That's _another_ reason I came back to Earth. My Dad called me when Mom attacked him because she didn't recognize him." Jet raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like Alzheimers." He said, glancing back in the room. "Yes, that layed ontop of a cold snippy woman makes my mom whole. I feel horrible for Lola having to deal with it." 

At that moment, Lola came downstairs with Ed. "What's that? Are you talking about me again?" Lola asked. Daisy moaned inwardly. "No, honey, I was just explaining to Jet about Grandma, that's all." She replied. Lola glared at her mother before raiding the fridge with Ed and heading back upstairs. "She might enjoy living on the Bebop for awhile." Jet remarked to himself. Daisy's eyes widened slightly. "Huh?" she asked. Jet laughed, slightly embarrased. "Oh, nothing. I just thought she'd have fun living in space. She might even be grateful to you."

_/Dammit Jet! This is a woman you've known for a few hours and you're already invited her to live with you!?/_ Daisy smiled but looked into the room with her parents. "That'd be quite an adventure..but I couldn't leave my parents alone." She answered. Jet sighed in relief. "When you can, give me a call." He said before walking back outside. "Wait a minute, Jet!" Daisy called, chasing the man. "Hm?" Jet asked, turning around. "You didn't tell me how to contact you." Daisy said with a slight smile.

Jet smiled and wrote something down on a piece of paper before handing it to Daisy. "Here's the ships frequency. I'll be looking forward to your call."  [A.N.-I wasn't sure how she would contact the ship, ie: phone call, frequency, etc so I chose frequency. If there's a term used in the show, let me know! A.N.]

SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY… 


	5. Missing Edward

Black Widow, Session 5

Missing Edward

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…

_ "She might enjoy living on the Bebop for awhile." Jet remarked to himself. Daisy's eyes widened slightly. "Huh?" she asked. Jet laughed, slightly embarrased. "Oh, nothing. I just thought she'd have fun living in space. She might even be grateful to you."_

/Dammit Jet! This is a woman you've known for a few hours and you've already invited her to live with you!?/ Daisy smiled but looked into the room with her parents. "That'd be quite an adventure..but I couldn't leave my parents alone." She answered. Jet sighed in relief. "When you can, give me a call." He said before walking back outside. "Wait a minute, Jet!" Daisy called, chasing the man. "Hm?" Jet asked, turning around. "You didn't tell me how to contact you." Daisy said with a slight smile.

_Jet smiled and wrote something down on a piece of paper before handing it to Daisy. "Here's the ships frequency. I'll be looking forward to your call."  _

And now… 

Spike still hadn't found Stella. She was no longer living in the desert, so Spike went to the hospital where he'd last seen Stella to find out where she was living now. After much pursuading, he managed to get her address. It was a large, white apartment building in the center of town. After climbing the six flights of stairs, Spike finally managed to get to Stella's apartment.

He knocked on the door and waited quietly. "Who is it?" a vaguely familiar voice asked. "An old friend." Spike replied, sticking his hands in his pockets. There was the clicking of the lock and the door opened slowly. "Who are you?" Stella asked warily. Spike smiled. "I told you, an old friend." He repeated. Stella paused for a moment. "Spike?" she said finally, opening the door a little bit more. "You got it." Spike said with a grin. 

"I didn't remember you at first. Please, come in." Stella said, stepping out of the way to let Spike into her apartment. "Would you like some tea?" Stella asked, walking to the kitchen. "No thanks. I'm not feeling too well, sad to say." Spike said, following her. "Oh really? I have some herbal medicinal tea that might help. Would you like that?" Spike shrugged and nodded. "You're much more handsome than I imagined." Stella remarked while putting some water to boil. Spike chuckled softly. "Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" he asked, sitting down in a chair.

Stella laughed lightly. "Well I meant it as a compliment, but if you took it as an insult, then I'm sorry." Spike smiled and watched the young woman prepare the tea. "So what brings you to Venus again, Spike?" Stella asked, sitting across from him at the table. "Buisness. We're a little short on cash at the moment." He replied. "Oh…I'm sorry." Stella said solemnly. The kettle on the stove started to whistle, so Stella got up from the table and finished preparing the tea. "Anyway, I wanted to see you before we left Venus." Spike said.

"Really? That makes me glad. I don't get many visitors." Stella said with a smile. "Well next time I'm in Venus' orbit, I'll stop by again." Spike replied, taking his cup of tea and blowing on it slowly. "So..have you been on many adventures?" Stella asked. Spike shrugged slightly. "I guess you can say that. Considering I've been beaten up pretty badly since we last talked.." Stella's eyes widened. "Oh no! Were you hurt really bad?" she asked. "Near death. But don't worry about it. So what have you been up to?" Spike replied, taking a sip of tea.

Stella looked away for a moment. "There was a funeral for Roco. It was nice…but it rained." Spike placed a hand over Stella's. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I'll be sure to visit his grave before we leave." He said. Stella smiled. "Thank you Spike. The flowers I put there are probably dying now. I'm still a little afraid of going outside, now that I'm cured…but I'll get the address of the cemetary for you." She said, standing up and going to another room. Spike took another sip of tea and grimaced. It tasted horrible. "Ah! Here it is!" Stella exclaimed, returning to the kitchen with a small slip of paper.

"Thanks." Spike said, putting the card in his pocket. "You seem troubled about something Spike..like things aren't going well." Spike looked up curiously. "What are you talking about?" he lied, fingering his teacup. Stella smiled slightly. "While I was blind from the Venus sickness, my other senses heightened. I can sense when things aren't going well for people." Spike chuckled softly and leaned back in his chair. "Well then, I guess you're right." Stella smiled and nodded. "How's your stomach feeling? Is the tea helping?" She asked, getting up and rinsing out her cup.

Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Spike finished the remaining tea in his cup. "A little. I'll just let it get better on its own." He said, standing up and placing his cup in the sink. Stella smiled apologetically. "I'm glad you came Spike, and I don't want to rush you out of here, but I was just about to go out." She said, pulling on a coat and wrapping a large scarf around her head. "That's alright. I was going to leave in a little while anyway." Spike said, sticking his hands in his pockets. The two walked out of the apartment and down the stairs together.

"Well, I'm going to go to the market place now. Have you ever been there?" Stella asked, tightening her scarf around her face. "I don't think so. I was going to head over to the cemetary and leave some flowers." Spike answered. Stella smiled. "There's a nice place where you can get fresh potted plants. Would you like me to show you the way?" Spike smiled and nodded. Stella was _so_ different from Faye. She was polite, generous, but Spike just wasn't attracted to her like her was to Faye. They arrived at the marketplace a short while later. 

The air was filled with the smells of assorted foods, all making Spike feel queasy. He clutched his stomach as they passed a long line of food vendors. "Here we are." Stella announced, walking into a small shop. "Thanks for showing me the way." Spike said thankfully, still holding his stomach. "No problem. Thanks for coming by Spike, it meant a lot. Tell Roco hello for me, will you?" Stella asked. Spike nodded and she disappeared back into the bustling streets. "Can I help you young man?" Said the man behind the counter. "Yeah, I need some flowers to put on an old friend's grave."

Back on Earth:

Jet sighed deeply as he stared out the window of the hotel suite. It was pretty dull on Earth, he concluded. /I thought I'd at least get to relax a little bit while I was here…but damn! I'll never forgive Spike and Faye for leaving Ed with me! Speaking of which, I wonder what those two are up to../ He got up and went over to the vid-phone and called the Bebop. Jet sighed and cancelled the call.

"I guess no one's home." He sighed, flopping onto his bed. /Finally..peace and quiet….wait a minute!! Where's Ed!?/ Jet jumped up from the bed and searched the suite frantically. "Ed!? Ed!! God damn that little brat!" he exclaimed, running out of the hotel and into a car they had rented. "Where could that kid have gone?" he thought outloud, searching the beach as he slowly drove past.

He searched the restaurant they had eaten at earlier, the ice cream parlor, the remains of a park that had been rocked by a meteorite, and everywhere else Ed could have possibly gone. /Daisy…I bet Ed went to play with Lola../ Jet thought, before racing off to Daisy's house. Luckily, he remembered how to get there, or else he'd be totally lost. The sun was rapidly setting as Jet knocked on Daisy's front door. "Coming!!" a voice that Jet recognized as Daisy's answered.

The door was pulled open, revealing a surprised Daisy. "Jet? What are you doing here?" She asked. He put his hand behind his head and chuckled softly. "Well, ya see, Ed's gone missing again and well, I've searched high and low for her and this is the last place she could logically be." He explained. Daisy laughed lightly. "Well…I haven't seen her. Come on in, and I'll go get Lola." Jet nodded and stepped inside the house. Luckily, the senile old people weren't around. 

Jet leaned against the kitchen counter while Daisy ran upstairs. Wind chimes and sun catchers were at the windows, no pictures were hung on the refrigerator though. Jet walked into the next room and looked around some more. Lots of doiley's, yarn and knitting things. Rocking chairs, slippers and oxygen tanks too. Jet heard Daisy running down the stairs, so he went back into the kitchen quickly.

"Lola's not here!" Daisy exclaimed, pulling a coat from the closet. "What?!" Jet exclaimed. "She's not in her room, I checked everywhere upstairs, and she never comes downstairs…oh Jet, where can she be?!" Daisy asked frantically. Jet put his hands on her shoulders and replied, "Calm down. They're probably together, so all we have to do is look for places where Lola might be." Daisy nodded and grabbed her car keys. "I'll drive."

Jet and Daisy ran out to Daisy's car and they sped off back into town. "When I get a hold of that girl.." Daisy said angrily. Jet shook his head. "I don't know what got a hold of Ed, and frankly, I don't care. Everyone has a right to go and come as they please. But I won't give up until you get Lola back." Daisy wrinkled her brow while scanning the area. "It seems a little uh…unsympathetic of you not to care about Edward. She's just a little girl." Daisy said. Jet chuckled slightly.

"You don't know Edward like I do. She used to live on her own, and seemed to be just fine…aside from the obvious weirdness about her. So I'm not worried. Besides, if she really wanted to get back, she'd use that 'Tomato' of hers and find us in a snap." Jet explained, peering at the park they were passing. "Hold on!" Daisy exclaimed, swerving to the right onto a dusty road. "Woah! Where are you going? There's nothing down that way, right?" he asked. Daisy nodded. "And you don't know Earth like I do either Mr. Black! If I know Lola, she'd go as far away as she could without being too far away to get back on her own."

Jet nodded and crossed his arms while staring out at the desert. "So where do you think she's hiding?" he asked a short while later. "An old stone building that used to be a diner, I think. My parents told me they used to take her there because she was so intruiged by the building and whatnot. I just hope she's there." A little while later, they pulled up to the old diner. The two closed their doors silently and started towards the building. "It looks ready to crumble any minute. Are you sure it's safe for us both to go in?" Jet asked quietly.

Daisy ran her hand across the side of the building and sighed. "You're right. How are we going to see if they're even in there?" she asked. "Well..I could just go in, but you're a lot lighter than I am. Although I wouldn't want you to risk that building coming down on you." Jet said bashfully. Daisy smiled and looked thoughtful. "I'll do it. It probably won't fall apart anyway. Stay here." Jet started for the entrance and smiled at Daisy before disappearing inside. 

The air was dank and dusty, and the only light came through the windows. /Why the hell would anyone want to hide out in here?/ Jet thought to himself, climbing up the rickety stairs. He listened for voices, or typing, or noises two little girls would make. /Shit./ He thought, climbing to the second floor. "Edward!! Lola? Anybody up here?" He called out, walking into a room. "I've got food Ed! Nope, she ain't here." Jet turned and walked back down the stairs quickly. "Jet? Any luck?" Daisy called out.

Jet stepped back into the sunlight and shook is head. "Nope. Any place else you think she might be?" Jet asked. Daisy frowned and shook her head. "I can try calling the hotel room." Jet suggested as they went back to the car. "I don't know..if they're there, they might get scared and run away." Daisy replied, biting her nails. Jet looked thoughtful for a minute. "Allright, I can call the front desk or security and ask that they check the room for me." Daisy shrugged. "I guess that might work." She said, not sounding too enthusuastic.

When they arrived back at Daisy's house, Jet pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and called the hotel. "Hi, this is Jet Black, I'm staying at your hotel and I need you to do something for me." Jet said, before the person answering could even say hello. "Okay, and what would that be sir?" a woman asked. "I need security to go to my room and unlock the door. I'm looking for a friend's daugher, and my roommate." He said, tapping his foot impatiently. "Alright sir, but you do understand that the hotel can not be held responsible for damages to your possesions." The secretary said.

"What!? All I want to know is if they're in there or not! Just don't wreck my stuff!" Jet exclaimed. "I'll send security up right away." Jet ran a hand over his head. "Ok, I'll hold." He answered, and turned to Daisy. "Security's gonna go to the room and see if they're in there. I'm still on the line, so we'll know right away." He reported. Daisy nodded and looked fretful. "Hey, make sure they don't leave the hotel if they're there." Jet said into the phone. A short while later, the secretary returned. 

"Mister Black, security has apprehended two female minors and are holding them in the security office. Will you be picking them up now?" Jet sighed a deep sigh of relief. "Thank God, Daisy, they found 'em. Yes, we'll be right over." Hanging up the phone, Jet sighed again. Daisy clasped her arms around him tightly. "Thank you for all your help Jet. Let's go." 


	6. Careless..

Black Widow Session 6

Careless..

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…

_"What!? All I want to know is if they're in there or not! Just don't wreck my stuff!" Jet exclaimed. "I'll send security up right away." Jet ran a hand over his head. "Ok, I'll hold." He answered, and turned to Daisy. "Security's gonna go to the room and see if they're in there. I'm still on the line, so we'll know right away." He reported. Daisy nodded and looked fretful. "Hey, make sure they don't leave the hotel if they're there." Jet said into the phone. A short while later, the secretary returned. _

"Mister Black, security has apprehended two female minors and are holding them in the security office. Will you be picking them up now?" Jet sighed a deep sigh of relief. "Thank God, Daisy, they found 'em. Yes, we'll be right over." Hanging up the phone, Jet sighed again. Daisy clasped her arms around him tightly. "Thank you for all your help Jet. Let's go."

And now…

The two rode to the hotel in silence, Jet silently cursing Ed for disappearing with Lola, and Daisy silently thanking Ed for being with Lola. They arrived at the hotel and ran inside. Lola and Ed were seated in the lobby with a security guard keeping a close eye on them. "Lola, thank goodness!" Daisy exclaimed, running over and hugging her daughter. Jet glared at Ed, who smiled back at him. "Oh sweetie, are you hurt?" Daisy asked, taking Lola's head in her hands, examining her all over.

"No, I'm fine Mom." Lola said, pushing Daisy off of her weakly. Jet grabbed Ed's collar and dragged her to the side. "Ed! What the hell were you thinking, running off like that?! Do you have any idea how scared Daisy was!?" Jet exclaimed. Ed grinned. "Ed and Looola had fun! You ruined our fun, Jet Jet!" Ed pouted. "Listen—you're nothing but a nuisance to me! I have half a mind to kick you off the Bebop…" Jet threated. Ed's eyes widened and watered. "Oh no!! Ed's home is Bebop! Bebop is home!"

Jet sighed and cursed himself. "…Alright..you can stay. But if you piss me off again, you're gone! Understand?" he said finally. Ed screamed and latched onto Jet's legs. "Yaaaay! Ed is home again!" 

Back on Venus…

Faye sighed impatiently as her table full of food got cold. /I can't believe that jerk isn't back yet! Where the hell did he go!?/ She wondered, pushing her chair backwards. At that moment, Spike entered the Bebop to the smell of food. "Faye? Who's cooking?" Spike called out, walking towards the kitchen. Faye crossed her arms and stood beside the table. Spike's eyes widened at the assorted aray of food which decorated the table. "Wow." He said. Faye sighed deeply. "Yes, wow indeed. None of it is warm anymore. Enjoy." She said, obviously disappointed at the fact that the only time she cooked something good, no one was around to enjoy it.

Spike followed Faye as she stalked to her room. "Hey Faye, what's up?" Spike asked, genuinly concerned. Faye spun around and glared at him. "What do you think!? You never said you'd be gone all freaking day! I slaved in that damn kitchen so we could finally enjoy a good meal, and what do you do!? Waltz in like everythings fucking **peachy**! Well it's not!" Spike stared at the door that was just slammed in his face. "Must be that time." He muttered, heading back to the kitchen. Faye opened her door and chucked a book at Spike's head. "I heard that!"

Groaning slightly, Spike went back into the kitchen and sat down. He really didn't feel up to eating, but knew he had to. So, in no time at all Spike had finished every last thing on the table. "Mm..I guess I should have saved some for Faye…but the hell with her! She should have eaten what she wanted when she had the chance." Spike said to himself, pushing himself up from the table. Unbeknownst to him, Faye was watching him from behind the wall. /Heh heh, silly, gullible Spike. I knew I could get him to take that laxative!/ Faye thought with an evil grin. /All we do now…is wait/.

Faye exited her room and went to watch t.v. Spike snorted as he walked into the living area, and saw Faye stretching across the entire length of the couch. "Move over, Poker Alice."  Spike said, swinging Faye's legs off the couch. "Don't call me that. I'm glad I finally got you to take that pill." Faye retorted, swinging her legs back onto the couch..er, Spike's lap. Spike looked down and was tempted to swing them off again, but decided against it. "When are we going to get more money?" Faye asked suddenly, not paying much attention to the t.v. Spike shrugged. "I don't know. How about after I crap my ass off." He suggested, glaring at her.

Chuckling slightly, Faye turned to face him. "Hey, it was the only way you were going to feel any better! Would you have liked it better if I just let you suffer?" Faye asked defensivly. Spike sighed deeply. "Yes, yes I would. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to work out a bit." He said, standing up and waltzing off. "Have fun, I'm going out!" Faye replied, hopping off the couch, and turning off the t.v. Spike merely waved and disappeared around a corner. 

Faye walked out to the streets of Venus as the sun began to set. Looking around for something to do, Faye spotted the lounge singer from a night earlier. He stared at her, drinking a cup of tea. /Excellent. Now I'm going to find out what his problem is./ Faye thought, heading over to the coffee shop."Hey you, we need to talk." She announced, stopping in front of his two-person table. "That we do, Miss Valentine." Branston replied, gesturing at the seat across from him. "How…how do you know my name?" Faye asked, wearily sitting down. "It's actually quite interesting, if you care to hear my story." Branston said, mysterious as always.

"Go ahead, I've got plenty of time." Faye replied, crossing her legs and sitting back in her chair. Branston nodded. "Alright…it all began with my grandfather. He would tell my father, and me for that matter, stories about a beautiful woman he once knew. They went to the same school, had the same classes, but never knew about each other. He became enfatuated with this woman, following her around, day and night, just hoping to receive just one of her smiles. Unfortunatly for my grandfather, the woman got into a very bad accident and had to be put in a cryogenic sleep until medical advancements could save her life."

"Grandfather used to say how he felt life he wasted all the chances he had to talk with this woman, to be friendly with her. Once she was asleep, he became very depressed and detached from his family. Soon thereafter he met a woman, slept with her and eventually fell in love with her. That woman was my grandmother. She never said a word about my Grandfather's obsession, or the woman who was his real object of desire. They're both dead now, and soon after their deaths, my father passed on a mission that was given to him by his father. He told me to find the woman who Grandfather so desperatly wanted to meet, just once before he died."

Faye trembled slightly at Branston's intense gaze. "He told me to find Faye Valentine." He concluded, leaning back in his chair. Faye swallowed deeply. "That can't possibly be true! It's…it's too outrageous to be true. No one could fall in love with me without even **knowing** me!" she said in denial. Branston shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Miss Valentine. That's why I constantly had my eyes on you last night. I had to be sure that I found my grandfather's lost jewel." He replied. 

Sighing, Faye stood up from the table. "Well, I hope you've accomplished your mission. I'm just a little bit freaked out, so I'm going back to my ship now." She said, stepping back from the table. Branston handed her a slip of paper. "That's where my Grandfather is buried. I hope you'll meet him there one day." Faye felt guilty now, and sat back down. "I can't believe this! Why couldn't he just talk to me?!" she asked, placing her head on the table. "Well, it's very difficult to talk to a beautiful woman such as yourself, especially when you're in love with her." Branston replied, pulling out his wallet.

"He would have saved us all a lot of grief if he just talked to me." Faye continued. "Here's a picture of him when he was in college. I hope, for his sake, that you remember him." Branston said, handing Faye a faded photograph. She took the picture and stared at it, hoping to retrieve a lost memory of this man. "I…I can't remember…There's so many clouded memories, but I think he's in a few of them. My friends…they used to joke about how he had a crush on me. But I never took them seriously..I just thought he was a loner who liked to stare at people." Faye said, making up a few memories here and there.

Branston smiled. "Then Grandfather must be resting peacefully now. I'm sorry to have frightened you Miss Valentine. Might I walk you back to your ship?" Faye nodded and handed the photo back. Spike peered out the windows of the Bebop, scanning the area, looking for Faye. /There she is. Hey! Who's that guy she's with? And why the hell is he kissing her!?/ he thought angrily, going back to his routine, pretending the punching bag he was now attacking was the man Faye was with. 

"I hope you'll forgive me, Miss Valentine, but I'm the only one in my family to have met you. That kiss was for Grandfather." Branston said, turning to walk back to the streets of Venus. "I'll visit him someday." Faye called, wiping off her lips before returning to the Bebop. "Spike?" She called out, searching the ship. She found him, still practicing his Jeet Kun Do. Hiding behind a wall, Faye stared at his lithe form as he punched and kicked at a sandbag in front of him. She couldn't help but stare at him. /I can't believe this…why do I find Spike attractive!? He's just a big, insensitive jerk…yet I still have feelings for him. / 

Faye knocked on the wall, getting Spike's attention. "What do you want?" he questioned, stopping the sandbag from knocking him over. "I was just wondering how you were feeling." Faye replied, totally not like herself. "Just dandy." Spike replied, wiping his face with a towel. "Who was that guy you were with?" He asked, stopping in front of Faye. /Ah shit! He saw that?!/ She thought worriedly. "It was that lounge singer, you know, the one who kept staring at me? Turns out his grandfather was in love with me seventy years ago, and he made his children, and grandchildren make it their mission to find me. It freaked me out, really." She explained, trying to hide her nervousness. 

Spike grunted slightly. "So why'd he kiss you?" He asked, trying not to sound jealous. Faye frowned slightly. "He said it was for his grandfather." She replied, crossing her arms. Spike chuckled. "Yeah, right. I'm going to take a shower now. Let's hope no more of your fan boys show up." He said with a sarcastic grin. Faye shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Don't start, Spike!" she called at his retreating figure. /Well..he didn't seem too mad. That's good…I just wish he didn't see that kiss./ Faye thought to herself while returning to the living area. 

She flicked the television on to Big Shot and flopped down onto the couch. "Howdy there Cowboys! We've got a great new bounty for you!" Punch exclaimed, hopping off his fake horse. "That's right," Judy began, "Her name is unknown, but this big time crook is wanted all over space! The police have dubbed her Momma Warbucks! She sneaks into the houses of the rich and famous, robs them, then leaves a tiny white pearl ontop of the victim's wallets…scary!" She said, shivering slightly. "The only picture we have is a faded printed photograph from the security camera of a—" 

Yawning, Faye flicked the t.v off before she had a chance to see the bounty. "Boring! Who wants to go through that ordeal all over again?" She said outloud. The com rang, so Faye hopped up and went to answer it. "Hey Faye, long time no see." It was Jet, looking quite frustrated. "Hey Jet, what's up?" Faye replied, sitting at the chair in front of the com. "Quite a lot, in fact. Well, ya see, I met this woman, right, and long story short, her daughter and Ed went missing. We found them, but…how soon can you pick us up?" Jet asked, as Ed danced in the background. Faye shrugged. /Dammit! They want to come back to the Bebop! How can I spend more time alone with Spike if everyone comes back!?/

"Ah…we're on Venus now…and there was some business we had to take care of…how about in a day or two?" Faye asked, praying that Jet would accept. Sighing deeply, Jet replied, "Just get here ASAP. Ed's driving me crazy, and Earth cigarettes aren't helping." Faye sighed and switched off the com. /Crap. Now I gotta take desperate measures…/ 

~^~

Finally, Spike was feeling better. He was even in a good mood. "Hey Spike..?" Faye called upon hearing him exit the shower. "Hm? Yeah, Faye?" Spike replied, tightening the towel around his waist. "Jet called, he wants us to pick him up as soon as possible." Faye reported, desperately trying to keep her eyes on Spike's face.  "Hm…I guess he wasn't enjoying his 'vacation' after all." Spike mused. "So ah..seeing how this is really our last chance…you want to go…out somewhere?" Faye asked shyly, looking down at the floor. Spike raised his eyebrows. /Is she asking me out?/ He wondered. "Sure…just as long as we don't eat at a lounge again." He replied, before heading off to his room.

Faye clicked her heels and squealed once Spike was out of hearing distance. /I can't believe I just did that! I'm going on a date with Spike…/ She thought, before running to her room to get changed. 

Spike sat on his bed, pondering. /Me…and Faye…on a date. It sounds weird even thinking it. But this was the whole point to being alone, wasn't it? To hopefully get closer to her…well, I guess I'd better get ready./ He stood up and started to dress, in his usual attire. He didn't really have anything dressier to wear. In no time at all, Spike was sitting on the couch, awaiting Faye's glamorous entrance. "So, you ready to go?" Faye asked, suprising Spike. He tried not to oogle at Faye's low-cut evening gown, but it was quite hard. 

Instead, he nodded and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" he asked royally. Faye chuckled and took his arm in her own and they walked out into the streets of Venus once again. The two felt sort of awkward being so close to each other, having people glance at them and think of them as a couple. "So where are we going, exactly?" Spike asked, after they wandered around the streets for awhile. Faye shrugged. "We can try to find a nice restaurant or something…oh wait, you don't want to eat…" She began, before deciding against it. "Hey, isn't this that same Branston guy?" Spike asked, picking a flyer up from the floor.

Faye nodded. "Yeah, Branston Eyrie..he's singing tonight at a restaurant called the Deep River Blues." She said, reading from the paper. "You want to go there?" Spike asked, mentally kicking himself in the head. Faye shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. Do you?" She asked. Spike shrugged as well. "What ever. I can always kick his ass if he tries to bother us." He said. Faye blushed slightly. "Thanks, but I can defend myself." She said, tilting her head upwards. "Let's try to find this place then. I need a drink." Spike said, feeling nervous. After all, he was finally going out with the new woman of his dreams.

They arrived at Deep River Blues a little later and found a table. Spike was having trouble deciding what to order to drink. "What kind of drinks do you have here?" he asked the waiter, who was obviously very impatient. "Well sir, if you would look at the drink section in your menu, you'll see all of the beverages we offer." The waiter replied, acting as if Spike was an idiot. He was only trying to piss the waiter off. "Oooh, so that's why is says 'Drinks' there. Okie dokie…I'll have a…Blue Hawaii Shooter." Spike said finally. The waiter turned to Faye. "And for the lovely lady?" The waiter asked.

"I'll have a salad and a Horny Devil, please." Faye replied. When the waiter left, the two burst into low laughter. "Jesus, Faye, that guy was practically offering himself to you." Spike said. Faye shook her head vehemently. "No way! Just cause he continually girated his hips doesn't mean a thing!" Faye replied, before laughing again. At that moment, Branston walked on the stage to the microphone. "Good evening." He said, before strumming his quitar. "I bet he'll sing about you." Spike whispered. 

Faye shot him a look before turning back to the stage. "All day long, all night long, you cause me to weep and mourn." Branston began. "Tears I've shed, My heart's bled, 'Cause of mean things you've done and said.." Faye turned and watched Spike, the same way she had a day before. Their drinks arrived, and Faye's was free, courtesy of the flirty waiter. "Thanks.." She had said, hoping he'd go away. Spike stared into his drink and sighed softly. "This guy just makes me depressed. You wanna get out here?" he asked. Faye seemed slightly surprised. "Sure..but where else is there to go?" She asked, taking some of her drink before she had to leave it behind.

Spike shrugged. "Anywhere." He replied, standing up from the table. Faye finished off her drink and gave a meager tip before following Spike outside. They walked down street after street, not finding anywhere good to go, although they weren't really looking too hard. "Spike…I'm sorry to have dragged you out tonight." Faye apologized, stopping at a dock on the water. Spike, who was a few feet in front of her stopped and turned around. "It's not your fault, Faye. I guess a planet'll do that to ya…" He replied, sitting down and swinging his feet over the dock, so they were a few feet above the water.

Faye joined him and asked, "What do you mean?" She took one of Spike's hands and looked into his eyes. Spike glanced at Faye before replying. "Seeing Roco get killed here, then visiting his sister…just bad memories I guess. I felt bad for her, you know?" Faye nodded. "I felt guilty visiting his grave, I feel guilty just being here…I know it's not my fault but why do I keep feeling so guilty?" He asked, flopping onto his back. "Guilt's a bitch like that, Spike. We as humans are always going to feel guilty whether or not it's our fault." She replied, resting back on her arms.

They were silent for awhile before Faye rested her head on Spike's chest. His heart almost stopped beating. He stroked her hair for awhile, enjoying the unique feeling of being so close to her. "I enjoyed our vacation Faye." Spike said, staring into the sky. "I did too. I only wish we could have gotten some more money. Jet'll probably make us pay him back for all the repairs he's done in the past." She replied, chuckling slightly. Spike sat up, wrapping an arm around Faye as he did so. They stared at each other briefly, before Spike leaned down and touched Faye's lips with his own. Faye's eyes widened slightly, then closed, wrapping an arm around Spike's neck, pulling his body tighter against her own.

KEEP YOUR MIND ON ME…


	7. Lonesome, Lovesick

Black Widow Session 7

Lonesome, Lovesick

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…

They were silent for a while before Faye rested her head on Spike's chest. His heart almost stopped beating. He stroked her hair for a while, enjoying the unique feeling of being so close to her. "I enjoyed our vacation Faye." Spike said, staring into the sky. "I did too. I only wish we could have gotten some more money. Jet'll probably make us pay him back for all the repairs he's done in the past." She replied, chuckling slightly. Spike sat up, wrapping an arm around Faye as he did so. They stared at each other briefly, before Spike leaned down and touched Faye's lips with his own. Faye's eyes widened slightly, then closed, wrapping an arm around Spike's neck, pulling his body tighter against her own.

And now:

As the two pulled away from each other, there was an awkward silence. "We better get back to the ship." Spike said, nonchalantly climbing up onto his feet. Faye sat still for a moment before nodding and following him back to the Bebop. "You hungry?" Spike asked. Faye shook her head. "Me neither." Spike continued. "I'm just gonna go to my room. See ya tomorrow, Faye." She watched him retreat to his room, as if nothing had happened. A dark fear grew in the pit of Faye's stomach. Something seemed wrong.

She went to her own room and changed into more comfortable clothes that were soft, cotton pajamas. She sat on her bed and thought long and hard. She came to the decision that Spike was still in love with Julia, and that he always would. _/It was stupid of me to ever think he could forget about her. I only wish he could. Then that kiss…was an apology..for leading me on, I guess/_. Faye climbed under the covers, and didn't even bother having her before bed cigarette. All she could do was worry about what Spike would tell her the next day. 

~^~

The next morning, Faye didn't feel like getting out of bed. Spike came and knocked on her door at around noon. "Are you feeling alright, Faye?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled. "Yeah." Faye replied, pulling her blanked tighter against her body. "Are you going to stay in there all day?" Spike continued. "Yeah." Faye repeated, just hoping he'd go away. "All right. I'll be back later." Spike said before walking off. He didn't know what was up with Faye. She was probably just nervous about seeing him, due to the previous night's occurrences. 

Spike groaned slightly as he stepped out into the pouring rain. He didn't really have a reason to go out that day, but he made up an excuse for himself, and for Faye. He was getting gifts for Ed and Jet. And maybe Faye, although she would hate him for a while, assuming he would go through with his plans. He found a cheap gift shop and bought some crap for Ed. One of those brain teasers where you have to get a bunch of small plastic sea shells and coins into a treasure chest by moving the toy around so the water inside would thus move the pieces. She'd enjoy that.

Jet was a little harder to shop for. Spike had no idea what to get him, so he bought a bonsai plant that looked desperate for repairing. He brought up the trees ill care with the vendor. "I should get a discount for this thing. It's practically dead." He said, holding up the browning tree. "No, it's healthy! I take good care of all my plants!" The vendor argued. "Well, I happen to be a expert on many things, and bonsai is one of them. You shouldn't sell such crappy merchandise to unsuspecting buyers. Give me a discount or I'll shut you down." Spike said, loading a bunch of professional bullshit.

The vendor narrowed his eyes and took a few woolong off the price. Sighing, Spike went to another store. A jewelry store. He wasn't sure about getting a gift for Faye, but he saw the shop and figured it couldn't hurt. When he thought about it, Faye didn't really wear much jewelry…in fact, she didn't wear any. Turning out of the store, Spike wandered back to the Bebop. He tossed the gifts onto a table and flopped onto the couch. Big Shot was on, and the hosts were talking about the millionaire robber again.

Spike realized that they hadn't gathered any more money for the Black Widow bounty. He turned off the t.v. and went to Faye's room. "Hey Faye, open up." He said, knocking loudly on the door. "What do you want?" Faye asked. Spike sighed and pushed the door open. "I'm going to go out and collect some more money for the Black Widow bounty. You coming?" he asked impatiently. Faye sighed and pulled the covers back. "Yeah, sure. Why the hell not?" She muttered, pulling out a cigarette.

"Just let me get changed and washed up. I'll meet you outside." Faye said grumpily. Spike grinned and headed outside with an umbrella. He hadn't had a smoke all day. A new record. Resisting the urge to light up, Spike whistled the same old tune he had in the past. Venus was very depressing when it rained, he mused. The day was dark and gray. No one was on the streets or anything. Eventually, Faye came outside, toting her own umbrella. "So where's this person live?" She asked. Spike pulled out a paper. "On the other side of Venus. I guess we should have checked before we came outside." He said, stuffing the paper back into his pocket.

They headed back into the Bebop and started off. They sat in the "cockpit" together in silence. Spike finally pulled out a cigarette but snapped it in half. "So where'd you go before?" Faye asked, her chin resting in her hand. "Out. I got gifts for Jet and Ed. Mostly junk." Spike replied, sucking in all the nicotine-air his lungs could hold. Faye nodded and sighed. "Get me anything?" She asked kind of snidely. "Nope." Spike retorted, resting his feet on the control panel. Faye snorted. "I should have known."

They were silent until they arrived at the mansion of Heptune Grenet. Her brother was one of the Widow's victims. They were welcomed inside and offered tea. "No thanks, it's strictly business." Spike answered, crossing his arms. A short while later, Heptune Grenet appeared. "How can I help you?" She asked, sounding as if she thought she was above both Faye and Spike. "Ma'me, we're here about the bounty offered for the capture of the Black Widow." Spike began.

"Yes. What about?" Heptune asked. "We're the ones that caught the Black Widow, and were told we had to visit the relatives to collect our bounty." Faye answered for Spike. "So you want me to pay you?" Heptune asked. "The bounty was 60 million woolong. We've received 3 so far." Spike said. "I don't want to pay. I hated my brother and didn't want to offer any money for the arrest of that woman. She did me a favor." Heptune answered snidely. "We can have you arrested for conspiracy Ms. Grenet. I doubt you want to spend your years locked up in a cell, or do you?" Faye asked, leaning forward.

Heptune blinked her eyes quite slowly. "No, I don't. Yet I still don't see a reason why I should pay you." She said. Both Spike and Faye pulled out their guns and aimed them at Heptune's head. "Now do you?" they asked simultaneously. Within seconds, two men burst into the room to subdue Spike and Faye. One held Faye with his arm around her neck and knocked the gun from her hand. Spike, on the other hand wasn't as cooperative. He elbowed the man that grabbed him and hit him in the side of his head with his gun.

The man staggered back slightly but grabbed the hand Spike was holding his gun in, twisted it and aimed the gun at Spike's back while looping his other arm around Spike's neck. "We didn't come here asking for trouble." Faye said angrily as the man pulled her arms behind her back tightly. "And yet you gave it. I have half a mind to call the police right now." Heptune sneered. Spike grinned cockily. "Does that half a mind remember what we said earlier? You could be arrested for conspiracy. We've already gone over this but you still refuse to pay." He said.

"You seem to be occupied for the moment. Gentlemen, take them to the holding quarters until I decide what to do with them." Heptune ordered to the two men holding Spike and Faye. "What!? Let me go you asshole!" Faye exclaimed, attempting to break free from the man's tight grip. Spike now wished he hadn't decided to not make a scene. The two were brought to a cold room with two wooden chairs. The men tossed them in, slamming the door shut before either could react. "Christ, it's freezing in here." Faye shivered. Spike nodded and tried to get the door open. 

Faye sat in a chair and tried to warm up. "What's with this woman? Is she some sort of syndicate boss or something?" she asked as Spike gave up on the door. "I have no idea. It seems pretty weird for a regular billionaire to have a room made entirely out of steel though." He retorted, sitting in the other chair. Faye sighed impatiently. "This sucks! Hey, lady! I want out, you hear me?!" Faye exclaimed, looking around frantically for a camera or something.  "I wish I had eaten something this morning. I'm starving." Faye moaned, tilting back in her chair. 

It wasn't until several hours later that two men entered the room. "Ms. Grenet would like to speak to you now." One of them said. "Finally." Faye sighed, getting up from her chair. "There." The same man said, pointing to a screen that seemed to appear from within the wall. "So have you made up your mind?" Spike asked impatiently. "I'm not sure what to do with you two. I could just kick you out and be done with you, or you can be punished. Seeing how you bothered me, I'd much rather punish you." Heptune said.

Spike growled. "And how do you propose to do that?" He asked lowly. "You're bounty hunters and I _despise_ bounty hunters. I'd be much better off if I got rid of you, would you agree?" Heptune said evilly. "I suppose you would. But there's no need for that now is there?" Spike asked. "Explain yourself." Heptune ordered. Spike cleared his throat and sighed deeply. "The only reason we've bothered you today Ms. Grenet is because of a bounty. I suppose we _could_ just leave you alone and collect the money elsewhere, but that wouldn't be too fair would it?" Spike asked. "You offered part of the bounty and we were only here to collect it."

Heptune narrowed her eyes. "I only offered it to get the cops off my back. The sum I offered was chump change compared to what the other relatives were offering. Why did you have to come after _me_?" she asked snidely. Spike chuckled. "We were in the neighborhood." He replied. Faye rolled her eyes at Spike's attempt at compromise. "Listen lady, how about you let me and my partner go. If you do, we promise never to bother you again." 

"But I've already been bothered." Heptune argued. Faye groaned and had a feeling they wouldn't be going home anytime soon. Spike pulled out the gun he kept hidden and shot the screen before shooting the two men that were still in the room. "Come on, we're getting out of here." He said, grabbing Faye's arm and running over to the two men. "Find the key." Spike said, frantically searching their pockets. "Found it! Ooh, nice gun." Faye said taking a small silver gun from the inner jacket pocket. "Let's go." Spike said, opening the door. The hallway was empty, so the two ran down to the nearest door. There were voices on the other side.

"Dammit." Faye spat. The door was pushed open and a group of men carrying machine guns charged through. Hiding behind a sofa, Spike and Faye managed to shoot them all. "Dammit, out of ammo." Faye cursed, sticking her gun into her pants. "Take some of theirs." Spike said, running through the door, grabbing a machine gun. Faye took two, one for each hand and followed Spike. "Who the hell _is_ this woman!?" Faye exclaimed as another barrage of men attacked. Tossing a grenade that was on one of the men, Spike plugged his ears with his fingers. "I have no idea. Some syndicate scum." He said before running down another hallway. They finally got to the main hall of the mansion.

  
A shot rang through the air and Faye clutched her shoulder before staggering back a few steps. Spike's eyes widened and he went to catch her falling body. Heptune stood at the top of a large flight of stairs. "Now you've made me mad!" Heptune exclaimed, shooting the gun wildly. Spike grabbed Faye and ran behind the stairs where she'd be safe. "You had the chance to let us go, Heptune. You should have taken it!" Spike said, running to behind a marble column. Heptune made her way down the stairs, still shooting her gun off. 

Poking out from behind the column, Spike shot her in the kneecap. She screamed out in pain but managed to keep walking. "I had my orders from Vicious. And if I don't kill you, he'll kill you and _then_ kill me. I can't let that happen." Heptune said, still advancing towards Spike. /Vicious!?/ Faye groaned and tried to see what was happening. Heptune Grenet was walking towards Spike, and she wasn't going to stop. Spike turned to shoot Heptune again. The bullet grazed her temple. Spike shot again, but he was empty. "Now you die." She said, aiming her gun for Spike's head. Before she had a chance to pull the trigger, Faye managed to stand herself up and shoot at Heptune's back with a barrage of bullets.

Sighing deeply, Spike holstered his gun and ran over to Faye. "You saved my ass." He said thankfully, helping Faye stand up. "I know. You owe me." Faye chuckled. Spike picked Faye up and said, "We better get out of here before any syndicate members show up." He grabbed Heptune's gun and ran out of the mansion towards the Bebop. "What happened? Who was she, Spike?" Faye asked. Spike remained silent until they got to the Bebop. He set the autopilot to Earth and started to tend Faye's wound. "Spike, tell me!" Faye said, groaned as Spike pressed on her injury.

"She was hired by Vicious to kill me." Spike answered shortly, grabbing a pair of medical tweezers, gauze and whatnot. "What?!" Faye hissed, balling her hands into fists as Spike began to retrieve the bullet. Faye whimpered slightly and squeezed her eyes shut. "Almost there.." Spike said reassuringly. She could feel the warm blood practically pouring out of her shoulder. Finally, Spike pulled the bullet out and put the tweezers down. "You should really go to a doctor." Spike said, pressing gauze down on the bullet hole. 

Faye snorted. "No way. Vicious is after you…and I guess me too. I can't trust anyone now." She said. Spike did a half decent job of stitching up Faye's wound. He covered it up with some gauze and said, "Try to keep pressure on it until it stops bleeding. We have to get Jet and Ed before Vicious finds them too." Though he did a good job of hiding it, Spike was really worried that Jet and Ed would be dead when they arrived. 

Back on Earth..

Jet and Ed waited at the hotel for a call from Spike and Faye. _/They agreed to pick us up today, so why haven't they called?!/_ Jet thought worriedly. /_What am I worried about? I could careless if anything happened to those two/_. But he couldn't help but wonder what kind of trouble they'd gotten themselves into. Just as he was about to call the Bebop, the Bebop called him. "Spike!? What the hell is going on?" Jet exclaimed, noticing the blood on Spike's jacket. "Don't worry about that now. We'll be there soon. Grab a gun and be ready." Spike ordered before turning off the com.

"Grab a gun..shit. Must be the syndicate again." Jet spat angrily. "Ed, you ready to go?" He asked, going towards his bag, which held a few select guns. Ed nodded and grinned. "Are Spike Spike and Faye Faye picking you and Edward up?" She asked, balancing Tomato on her head. "Yeah. I think the syndicate's after Spike again, so be careful and _don't_ go anywhere, understand? Just stay put until they get here." Jet said, loading a new magazine into his gun. He had a bad feeling about this.

Spike and Faye finally landed on Earth, right in front of the hotel. "Stay here. I'll go get Jet and Ed." Spike said, tossing Faye a gun. "Be careful." Faye called. Spike nodded and ran out of the Bebop and into the hotel. Jet and Ed were still in their room so Spike ran up a few flights of stairs and pounded on the door. "Jet, it's me. Let's go!" he called through the door. The door flew open and Jet, Ed and Ein ran out. "What's wrong Spike-person?" Ed asked, still carrying Tomato atop her head.

"We're not safe here, Ed." Spike replied as they ran towards the Bebop. It was unlikely, but not impossible that there were syndicate members already searching for Spike and Faye. They couldn't take any chances now. Not until they were in hyperspace did Jet finally find out what was going on. "..So, it turns out that this woman was hired by Vicious to kill me." Spike concluded, taking a deep sigh. Jet ran a hand over his head. "Shit. That's freaking fantastic. So did you kill her?" he asked.

Spike nodded. Jet looked over at the wounded Faye and shook his head. "I had a feeling you two'd get into trouble. I just didn't think it'd be this serious." He said. Sitting back on the couch, Spike lit up a cigarette. "Now it has to end, once and for all." He said, inhaling deeply. Faye drew in a deep breath. She didn't want Spike to go after Vicious, but then again, she didn't want Vicious to come after them either. "What are you gonna do?" Faye asked worriedly. Spike shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I don't want to be hunted by him, so I'll have to kill him while I'm still alive."

Jet sighed deeply. Faye was in no condition to help Spike, and he didn't know whether or not it was worth the risk. Spike was too hotheaded, and sometimes you just have to let them learn their lesson in due time. But deep down, he didn't want to see Spike hurt. They were partners….and friends.

SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY… 


	8. Weakness

Black Widow Session 8

Weakness

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…

_Spike nodded. Jet looked over at the wounded Faye and shook his head. "I had a feeling you two'd get into trouble. I just didn't think it'd be this serious." He said. Sitting back on the couch, Spike lit up a cigarette. "Now it has to end, once and for all." He said, inhaling deeply. Faye drew in a deep breath. She didn't want Spike to go after Vicious, but then again, she didn't want Vicious to come after them either. "What are you gonna do?" Faye asked worriedly. Spike shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I don't want to be hunted by him, so I'll have to kill him while I'm still alive."_

_Jet sighed deeply. Faye was in no condition to help Spike, and he didn't know whether or not it was worth the risk. Spike was too hotheaded, and sometimes you just have to let them learn their lesson in due time. But deep down, he didn't want to see Spike hurt. They were partners….and friends._

And now:

A low growl escaped from the syndicate leader's throat. "Sir? What is it you want to do?"  A young man asked as his boss stared out the window. "Find their ship, and bring them all to me." Vicious replied, his black bird letting out a shrill squak in agreement. "Yes sir." The young man said, before turning and leaving quickly. "You're clock is ticking Spike…" Vicious sneered, still staring out the window. "Kou." He said as the door opened once more. "Y-yes sir?" Kou, the young man from before asked worridly.

Vicious slid a photograph across the desk he was standing behind. "Kill them." Kou picked up the picture of a family—two grandparents, a mother and daughter in a big white house with meteorites showering the Earth behind them. "Yes sir."

It was late on the Bebop, and Jet and Ed had retired to bed long ago. Spike was still drawing up the courage to talk to Faye. She was resting on the couch, and he was sitting in his room, smoking. The picture of Julia glaring at him, urging him on. "Why do I still love you?" Spike asked himself, grabbing her picture. It wasn't _just_ a picture of Julia, however. Vicious was there too, hidden behind a piece of thick paper taped onto the glass. It was the only picture Spike had of Julia, a memory of their painful past. 

Spike pulled the paper off and stared into Vicious's blank expression. With a low growl, Spike pressed down on the glass with his thumb, hoping that Vicious felt his pain. The glass creaked and shattered, slitting into Spike's thumb. Blood poured onto Vicious' picture, staining him with blood even more than he already was. Placing the picture back on the night table, Spike sucked on his thumb. /_I can't believe I don't have the guts…I have to keep her wondering_/.

Faye flicked the t.v. off and groaned, glancing down at her injured shoulder. It had stopped bleeding, but oozed every now and then. She was about to get up and go to her room when Spike entered the living quarters. "Hey, feeling better?" He asked, sitting on the coffee table. 

"I guess. Got any smokes? I'm all out." Faye replied. Spike smiled slightly and pulled a pack out of his pocket. "Keep 'em." He said. She pulled one out of the pack and lit it up. "Ah, that's better. So…do you know what you're going to do?" Faye asked worridly.

Spike lowered his head. "Yeah." He answered softly. Faye frowned, knowing he was going after Vicious. "So you're _really_ going through with it?" she asked. Spike lifted his head and said, "He's after me Faye, I know he is. I can't go around, knowing he's watching my every move, waiting for a chance to strike, you know?" Faye nodded. "I understand, but…is there really a reason you have to kill him, other than what's happened in the past?" she asked. Spike reached for Faye's cigarette and replied, "Do you really want to wait until there _is_?"

"Well, then I guess I should say this before you run off and get yourself killed." Faye began in a shaky voice. Spike raised his eyebrows slightly. "I…really like you, Spike. These few days have been really great and I just wanted to let you know before you go to kill Vicious." Faye finished, unable to meet Spike's eyes. For once, Spike was speechless. He had a feeling this would happen. He tried desperatly to just forget Julia, but it was hard, so _damn_ hard. Spike cursed himself for not being able to just let her go.

He'd been told over and over to forget Julia after he left the syndicate, but she remained on his mind constantly. She made him weak, and he just couldn't let her go.

"Faye, I—" Spike began before Faye interrupted him.

"You still love her." Faye questioned, or rather stated.

With Spike's silence and peculiar gaze, Faye knew she was correct. "I thought so." She said, standing up and staggering slightly. Spike jumped up to help, but she pushed his arms away. "I need to be alone for a while." She said, excusing herself. "Faye, wait.." Spike said meekly, following after the hurting woman. "Leave me alone." Faye said, her voice cracking. Spike reached out and grabbed her arm. "Please." He asked. With a huff, Faye turned around and put on an "I'm okay" face.

"I..I'm sorry. I like you Faye, and you have no idea how much I wish I could get Julia out of my damn head but…I can't." Spike explained. "It's like she cast a spell that I can never be free of, you know?" he continued. Faye nodded her head lightly. "I guess it was silly of me to think you finally let her go." She said softly, before continuing on to her room. Spike patted his pockets for a smoke. "Here." A gruff voice said. Spike turned and gratefully took the cigarette from Jet. "Thanks." He murmured, as Jet lit the stick. "So I take it things didn't go well." Jet said.

Spike nodded and sighed. "She doesn't seem that angry, but you can never tell with women." He said, leaning against the wall. "You still going through with it?" Jet asked rhetorically. Spike wouldn't change his mind now. He hoped that once Vicious was dead that he might be able to either be with Julia, or forget about her. "It's not going to be easy you know." Jet said, sounding father-like. "I know." Spike replied, puffing on his cigarette. "'She going to back you up?" Jet asked.

Shrugging, Spike snubbed the cigarette against the wall. "I wouldn't want her to. This is between me and Vicious." He stated. Jet sighed and watched his comrade walk away. "You're gonna get yourself killed for real, one of these days." He said to himself. Vicious was exactly that. Vicious. Cold-hearted. A maniacal killer. Though he'd never admit it, Jet was worried that Spike wasn't good enough to kill Vicious. _/He's just too hot-headed!/_ he thought, returning to his room.

~^~

The next day, Spike did the final preparations for his battle with Vicious. Faye hadn't shown her face all day, or at least no one saw her. Jet was sitting on the couch, contemplating over a cigarette. Spike was stocking a trench coat with guns and ammunition. He wouldn't let Vicious win. He _had_ to kill him before anyone else died. Faye was sulking in her room. She had prepared a leather trench coat of her own, full equiped. All she had to do was decide whether or not to go with Spike.

_/It's **his** vendetta. He probably wouldn't want me to come anyway. But I'd never be able to forgive myself if he died_/ she thought, before pulling the trench coat on. She headed out to where Spike and Jet were, when a thought entered her mind. _/Jet had met a woman on Earth…shit!/_ she ran as quickly as possible to find him. "Jet! You have to go, right now!" She exclaimed, sliding across the metal floor.

"What the hell!? Faye, what's going on?" Jet hollared, jumping at the sudden shouting. "That woman on Earth, if Vicious finds her, he'll kill her!" Faye explained. Jet's eyes widened. "That son of a bitch…" He muttered, before running to the cockpit. "Sorry Spike, but this suicide mission's gotta wait!" He called out. Spike nodded dazedly and continued to load magazines into his guns. Faye sighed deeply and sat across from him. "All dressed up with no where to go huh?" Spike asked, nodding at Faye's bulging trench coat.

Faye smirked. "I'm going with you. Even if you're a insensitive asshole, you're still my friend." She said. Spike smiled inwardly. "Thanks, but I'd rather you stay back. Wouldn't want you to get hurt 'cause of me." He said. Faye chuckled. "I'll just help you get into the building and past all of his goons. After that, you're on your own. I understand it's _your_ fight." She replied as Jet decended towards Earth as fast as possible. The Bebop shook and heated immensly. Spike and Faye braced themselves, holding onto the walls.

"Jesus, Jet! Can't you take it easy!?" Spike screamed over the noises of alarms and the ship's groaning. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! We're almost through!" Jet hollared back, trying to steady the Bebop as it plummeted to Earth. Spike crawled over to Faye and yelled, "Lay down on the couch. It'll soften the impact!" She nodded and layed down, not expecting Spike to lay ontop of her, covering his head. The ship crashed onto Earth, Jet's head slammed against the control panel, knocking him unconscious, and Spike and Faye conked heads too.

Spike shook his head and tried to see straight. He rolled off of Faye and onto the dusty floor. Debris from the ceiling fell, making clanging noises echo through the ship. Spike wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Faye was knocked out on the couch. Her head was bleeding slightly, but that was all. Standing up slowly, Spike went to the cockpit to find Jet slumped over the controls. "Jet! Hey, Jet are you ok?" he asked, nudging Jet. "Mm…" Jet moaned, reaching for his head.

"You ok?" Spike asked as Jet raised his head. "Is it bad?" Jet asked, regarding the ship. Spike nodded and grinned lopsidedly. "Yeah. We better go find this lady friend of yours before anyone else does." He said seriously. Jet jumped up from his seat and replied, "You can take the Swordfish, I'll take the Redtail. Just follow me there." Spike nodded, hoping Faye wouldn't wake up before they returned. Jet nervously climbed into Faye's ship and started off. They had landed farther away from Daisy's house than he had intended.

Luckily enough, the Redtail actually had a full tank of fuel. Jet tried to calm himself down as they flew towards the area Daisy lived. _/We only were together for a day or so…Vicious couldn't possibly have seen that. Yeah, things'll be fine../ _He thought, convincing himself not to be worried. The house seemed fine from the outside, no sign of a break in or anything. "There it is, Spike!" Jet said through the com, landing the Redtail a few yards from the house. Spike climbed out of the Swordfish and followed Jet. 

They pressed their backs against the wall, guns drawn before charging into the house, preparing to shoot anyone that came in their path. "I'll check upstairs." Jet said, running up the steps silently. Spike did a scope of the first floor. Living room was empty, minus a basket of yarn and partially finished scarf or something. The kitchen and dining room were empty too. That's when a piece of paper caught Spike's eye. He silently walked over and picked it up. It was a picture and a note. Two elderly people, slaughtered, and a young woman that looked barely alive. The note read: If you want to see the girl alive again, be prepared to surrender your life to the syndicate.

Spike swallowed deeply. He quickly folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket as Jet returned. "Anything?" He asked worridly. Spike shook his head and they went back outside. "I guess they got away. I'm gonna stick around awhile incase they were out or something." Jet said. Spike regretted not showing him the paper as soon as he found it, but he didn't need Jet losing his cool. "I don't think that's a good idea. Let's head back to the Bebop so I can kill Vicious now, before he hurts anyone else." Spike said, fingering the course paper in his pocket. He at least wanted to get back into space before showing Jet the picture.

"Yeah…I guess you're right." Jet said slowly. As they flew back to the Bebop, Spike pulled out the paper and wondered whether or not the young woman was still alive. She was a bloody mess, and would probably be dead before he even arrived at the syndicate. But he'd have to take that chance, and for Jet's sake, hope she wouldn't be. When they arrived at the Bebop, Faye was conscious and eagerly waiting. "So?" She asked immediately as they came into the living room. "They weren't home. We're going over to the syndicate building now, so we can end this." Jet reported, going to the cockpit to make sure there was no major damage.

Spike nodded for Faye to follow him down the hall, out of Jet's hearing distance. "What's up, Spike?" Faye asked softly. Spike pulled the paper out of his pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Faye. "Oh my god…are they..?" She whispered, putting a hand over her mouth. "I don't know. The younger one might still be alive, but I doubt it. I'm taking that the girl they're talking about is her daughter. This has to end." Spike replied lowly. Faye stared at the picture before handing it back to Spike. "I'm going with you, Spike. Once Jet see's this, he'll want to kill Vicious himself, and we both know that's not possible. Please, let me back you up." She pleaded.

HANG ON, COWGIRL… 


	9. Maybe Someday

Black Widow Session 9

Maybe Someday

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…

_"Yeah…I guess you're right." Jet said slowly. As they flew back to the Bebop, Spike pulled out the paper and wondered whether or not the young woman was still alive. She was a bloody mess, and would probably be dead before he even arrived at the syndicate. But he'd have to take that chance, and for Jet's sake, hope she wouldn't be. When they arrived at the Bebop, Faye was conscious and eagerly waiting. "So?" She asked immediately as they came into the living room. "They weren't home. We're going over to the syndicate building now, so we can end this." Jet reported, going to the cockpit to make sure there was no major damage._

Spike nodded for Faye to follow him down the hall, out of Jet's hearing distance. "What's up, Spike?" Faye asked softly. Spike pulled the paper out of his pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Faye. "Oh my god…are they..?" She whispered, putting a hand over her mouth. "I don't know. The younger one might still be alive, but I doubt it. I'm taking that the girl they're talking about is her daughter. This has to end." Spike replied lowly. Faye stared at the picture before handing it back to Faye. "I'm going with you, Spike. Once Jet see's this, he'll want to kill Vicious himself, and we both know that's not possible. Please, let me back you up." She pleaded.

And now…

Unfortunatly, the Bebop wasn't in any condition to blast off to the syndicate, so the group was forced to stay on Earth until everything was repaired. Jet remained alone, worrying about Daisy. Faye was returning from a shower when her hand swung to smack and kill the bug who had just bitten her neck. "Ugh…S-Spi…" She uttered, stumbling towards the circular opening to the living quarters, when her vision blurred. Spike jumped up from the couch to catch the falling woman. "Faye! What happened? Are you alright?" he asked hastily, removing Faye's hand from her neck to see a puncture mark. "What the—"

The slight sound of a foot fall that no one else would have been able to hear caused Spike to whip his neck around in time to see a dark figure. Soon thereafter he had fallen to the floor, feeling the blood seep out of the jagged puncture wound on his own neck. "Shit.." was all he managed to utter before blacking out.

~^~

Vicious smiled wickedly as the three Bebop members were shackeled to the wall. "We've done as you asked sir. Is there anything more you need?" Kou asked. Vicious closed his eyes and shook his head. "You may go now." He throated. Kou bowed his head before leaving the trio to the mercy of Vicious's blood-stained hands. He walked over to Spike and smacked him around slightly to wake him up. Spike groaned and opened his eyes. "Vicious." He spat, now fully awake, and trying to get free from the restraints. 

"Hello Spike." Vicious greeted. 

"You're a coward, Vicious." Spike retorted.

Vicious chuckled softly. "You were coming to get me Spike. I merely got you first." He answered, walking over to Faye. 

"Don't you touch her! She's not involved with this!" Spike exclaimed worridly. 

Vicious raised his eyebrows at his ex-comrades obvious worry. "What's this? Spike's found someone else?" A female voice asked. "J-Julia..?" Spike stuttered in disbelief. The blond woman walked over to Vicious' side. "It's me, Spike." Julia said in a monotone voice. Vicious wrapped a snake-like arm around Julia's waist and smirked wickedly. "What are you doing here?" Spike asked painfully. Julia remained silent, and Vicious tightened his grip on her. "Feeling stupid, Spike?" he asked, glancing at Faye momentarily.

Spike growled lowly, pulling his arms against the shackles. "I thought so." Vicious said, answering himself. "You should have left when you had the chance." Julia said flatly. Spike whipped his head forward. "Why, Julia? I loved you!" he said hoarsly. Julia stepped forward and smacked Spike's cheek harshly. The echoing sound caused Faye to snap awake. "Nn…Spike!?" she exclaimed, trying to run to his aid. "Leave him alone, you bitch!" Faye continued, trying to pull her arms free. 

"Julia…" Vicious ordered. The leather-clad woman walked over to Faye and swung her arm up to Faye's throat and squeezed tightly. Spike's eyes widened, and he swung his leg outward to kick Vicious in the chest. Julia released Faye's throat and ran over to help Vicious. "Faye, are you alright!?" Spike exclaimed, wishing he was close enough to comfort his comrade. Coughing loudly, Faye nodded meekly. 

~^~

  
Edward peeked out from her hiding spot and sighed deeply. "Ed thinks they're gone, Ein. What should we do?" She asked. Ein looked up and licked her nose. "That's what Ed was thinking!" Ed exclaimed, crawling out from the refridgerator, that had luckily been unplugged. "Spike and Faye and Jet are in trouble! But who can help them?" Ed thought to herself. Her eyes wandered to Tomato. "Tomato can help!" Ed shouted, hopping over to her computer. She quickly searched for information and came up with one name: Shin.

"Hey Ein…do you think Shin can help Spike an' Faye an' Jet?" Ed asked, pointing at the man's image on her screen. Ein cocked his head to the side and barked. Gathering some things, Ed sped off to hitch a ride to space, where Shin would be. 

~^~

"Who are you?" Shin asked, looking down at the red-headed girl and her dog. "It's a secret! Spike-person needs help!" Ed whispered through the door. "Spike?" Shin repeated before un-locking several locks. He opened the door, pulled Ed in and shut it. "What happened to Spike? Is it Vicious?" Shin asked, aiming his gun at the innocent girl before him. Ed nodded enthusiastically, disregarding the gun. "Edward was on Bebop and then bad men came to the Bebop so Ed hid on the Bebop. Then Spike an' Jet came back to the Bebop and—"

Shin held his hand up. "Cut to the chase kid, I don't have all day." He said impatiently. "They were captured and Ed is afraid!" Ed said dramatically, placing a hand on her forehead and tilting back. Shin reached forward and grabbed one of her flailing feet. "And you are..?" he asked as Ed lay motionless. "Edward is Edward. Ed found you so you can save Spike and Faye and Jet. Will you help them?" Ed replied. 

Dropping Ed to the floor, Shin nodded. "If I don't, who will?" he asked himself. /It's only a matter of time before Vicious gets impatient and starts to kill them one by one. I just hope I don't get there too late/ he thought, leaving the room to prepare. 

~^~

"Just what did you hope to accomplish with all of this Vicious?" Spike asked, his arms aching from being suspended for so long. Vicious opened his eyes and gestured at Jet and Faye. "Can't you tell, Spike? You always were so in tune with what was going on. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out already." He replied. Spike snorted. "You don't even know what you're going to do, do you? You've caught us the cowardly way, now what?" he taunted. Vicious smirked slightly. 

"You always were so cocky.." Vicious said remanicingly. Spike's gaze shifted to Julia. She stood there, emotionless, indifferent. The leather suit she wore emphasized her curves, reminding Spike of why he fell in love with her in the first place. "Where's the girl?" Spike asked suddenly, snapping his head back to Vicious's dead gaze. "She's fine." Vicious replied. Spike rolled his neck to loosen some of the stiff muscles. "I didn't ask how she was, dumb ass. I asked where she is." He sneered.

Vicious stood up suddenly and knocked Julia out of his way, much to her and Spike's surprise. Vicious stalked over and gripped Spike's chin tightly. Spike stared into the life-less pools of gray and spit in the man's face. "I want to see her. I want Jet to see her." Spike demanded. Vicious moved his hand and grabbed Spike's throat. "You're..su-ch a…coward Vi..cious. Ch..choking a helpless man…maybe that's..why…she came to..me." Spike choked out. Julia ran over and grabbed Vicious' arm. "Please, don't." she said, almost pleadingly.

Snarling menacingly, Vicious removed his hand from Spike's throat and struck Julia across the cheek. She twisted to the floor and held her cheek tightly. Spike inhaled deeply, trying to shake the light-headedness he felt. "Why don't you untie me and we can have a real fight." Spike said, once he was breathing normally. Vicious helped Julia off the floor and caressed her injured cheek. "Please…stop this.." Julia said in a soft voice, taking one of Vicious' hands. "You know I can't do that.." Vicious replied.

"Uncuff me you goddamned coward!" Spike shouted, thrashing his arms, hurting them more than they already were. The commotion finally caused Jet to wake up. "Huh..w'as goin' on..?" He muttered, trying to rub his eyes. "What the…is that..?" he continued, starting to realize what was happening. Jet turned to see Spike, and Faye too with substantial bruising on their necks. "Spike, what the hell have you gotten us into now!?" Jet hollared angrily. Spike rolled his eyes and wiggled his wrists. "It's not my fault Vicious is a COWARD. If he'd untie me, we could finally settle this thing. If I could get out of these things myself, I would have." He said.

Faye sighed tiredly, thankful that Vicious was leaving them alone for the time being. "What are we going to do?" She hissed impatiently. "I have no idea." Jet answered, wishing he could run a hand over his head. Spike was finally in a situation that he had no idea how to get himself out of. Now, his friends were in trouble too. "Hey, Julia!" Faye shouted, hoping to get their attention. The blond turned her head slightly. "Come here, will ya? We need to chat." Faye continued, hoping she could pursuade Spike's former lover to help them out.

Ignoring Vicious' glare, Julia walked over to Faye. "Will you please tell him to let us down?" Faye asked, knowing her demands wouldn't be met. "I can't do that." Julia replied. "Then at least let me down. They're not involved in this." Spike said pleadingly. Julia walked over to the green-haired man and looked down at him. "Julia, leave them alone." Vicious ordered from a chair across the room. "All he wants is to see me suffer. It seems to me that he's not confident in his own abilities, that's why he hasn't fought me yet." Spike said with a cocky grin.

Julia instinctivly smacked Spike across the face. "I expected that. Just tell him what I told you." Spike asked as Julia turned on her black stiletto heels. There was quiet discussion between Julia and Vicious, before Julia returned to Spike and uncuffed him. With a heavy sigh, Spike let his arms fall to his sides before rubbing his wrists gingerly. "Thanks." He muttered, as if Julia even cared about his well-being. "Are you happy now, Spike?" Vicious throated, removing his katana from it's shealth. Spike patted his empty pockets and grinned. "Not quite. Where's my gun?" He asked.

Vicious kicked it across the floor and said, "It begins." Spike cocked his gun and nodded. Faye flinched as the two charged at each other, combatting blade with bullet. "Faye, do you have anything to get these cuffs off?" Jet whispered. Faye nodded. "It's in my hair, though, so I won't be able to reach it." She answered, shaking her head slightly. "Damn." Jet cursed, turning back to the fight. Spike had a slash in his chest, and Vicious' right thigh was grazed. They were even, for the most part. 

"Is your blood boiling yet Spike?" Vicious asked, when they were face to face. Spike grinned. "Is yours?" he asked, kicking Vicious away and shooting almost wildly. "My blood is boiling with a vengence. Soon it will be calm…once you're dead.." Vicious sneered, swinging his katana at Spike's head. Ducking away from the blade, Spike shot at Vicious, but purposely sent his bullet into one of Faye's handcuffs. Shreiking slightly, she grabbed the lock pick from her hair and freed her other arm, with out causing too much attention. "Come on Faye, hurry up!" Jet hissed, as she worked slowly on one of his hands.

"I'm sorry my arm is twitching Jet, it was just **shot** at. Hold your damn horses." Faye said, finally releasing one of his arms. Meanwhile, Spike and Vicious were at each other's throats. "Come on Vicious, kill me. You know you want to, you have the chance." Spike taunted, as Vicious' blade pressed against his neck. "I could say the same to you, but I'd be a fool." Vicious retorted, as Spike pressed the barrel of his gun against the side of Vicious' neck. Kicking Vicious away from him, Spike stole a glance, and saw Faye and Jet were gone. He didn't want to die in front of Faye, or Jet for that matter.

Julia stood in the shadows, watching her two lovers battle. She didn't care about Spike, but she couldn't love Vicious. Not after what he'd done. The two men backed away from each other, breathing heavily. Spike had a gash across his cheek, a slice on his neck, and various other nicks and cuts along his body. Vicious didn't have a bullet in his body. He was winning. /Shit…He's kicking the hell out of me. I gotta sink a bullet into him quick, or else I'm dead/ Spike thought, catching a glimpse of a figure moving towards Julia. 

Knowing she was already caught, Spike yelled, "Julia, watch out!" Vicious spun around, and Spike pumped him full of lead. "Fuck!" Spike spat, realizing he was empty, and had only shot Vicious twice. He quickly put in a new magazine, and ran away from Vicious. It was Faye who had Julia by the hair, with her Glock pressed to her temple. Vicious was kneeling on the floor, deciding what to do. "Put the sword down, or she's dead!" Faye ordered. Vicious' grip remained firm. 

Cocking her gun, Faye stepped into the light a bit more. "Don't tempt me Vicious. Put the goddamn sword down!" She exclaimed. Spike knew Faye would die if she kept this up. "Faye, let her go!" he shouted. Vicious turned his gaze and smirked. "I don't care if you still love her Spike, she's going to kill you!" Faye exclaimed, tearing slightly. Wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, Spike shook his head. "This won't solve anything Faye. It's only going to get you killed. Just let her go.." He mediated.

Vicious stood up and pointed his sword at Faye. "You think that you have a chance against me, woman? Would you care to try?" he tempted. Kicking Julia to the ground, Faye pointed her gun at Vicious. "A bullet travels faster than you, you son of a bitch!" She spat, shaking slightly. "Why don't we test your little theory then?" Vicious said. Realizing there was nothing else he could do, Spike ran towards Vicious, and shot him in the leg. Vicious spun around and pointed his katana straight at Spike's chest.

Thankfully, a figure shoved Spike out of the way, before his heart was shishcabobed. "Shin?! How…" Spike started, before knocking the man off of him as Vicious charged for them both. "I knew you were nothing but a traitor. It's a shame your assassination didn't pull through!" Vicious sneered at Shin before swinging wildly at Spike. 

Meanwhile, Faye ran to join Jet who was searching the building for Lola, and maybe even Daisy if she was still alive. "I can't believe Spike kept this from me!" Jet exclaimed in a hushed voice. "You would have gone off after Vicious yourself if he showed you. And we all know that you can't handle him." Faye replied. Jet sighed deeply. "I just wish there was something I could do. It's my fault they're dead." He stated.

Faye put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We can find them, Jet. And give them a proper burial. That's all we can do now, save rescuing the little girl." She said, before they started off again. There were patrollers around the entire building, armed and ready to kill on sight—Vicious' orders of course. Despite not wanting to kill those only doing their jobs, Faye sunk a bullet into the skulls of two patrollers. There was a door at the end of a dead-end hall. "Let's check it out." Jet said, running over to the door.

"Wait…let me listen." Faye whispered, putting her ear to the door. 

"Mommy…mommy, wake up…mommy..?"

                                                                                                SAY NO MORE


	10. Final Bout

Black Widow Session 10

_/thoughts/_

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…

Meanwhile, Faye ran to join Jet who was searching the building for Lola, and maybe even Daisy if she was still alive. "I can't believe Spike kept this from me!" Jet exclaimed in a hushed voice. "You would have gone off after Vicious yourself if he showed you. And we all know that you can't handle him." Faye replied. Jet sighed deeply. "I just wish there was something I could do. It's my fault they're dead." He stated.

Faye put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We can find them, Jet. And give them a proper burial. That's all we can do now, save rescuing the little girl." She said, before they started off again. There were patrollers around the entire building, armed and ready to kill on sight—Vicious' orders of course. Despite not wanting to kill those only doing their jobs, Faye sunk a bullet into the skulls of two patrollers. There was a door at the end of a dead-end hall. "Let's check it out." Jet said, running over to the door.

"Wait…let me listen." Faye whispered, putting her ear to the door. 

"Mommy…mommy, wake up…mommy..?"

And now…

"It's gotta be them! Bust the door in, Faye!" Jet said frantically. "Dammit, Jet, this is why Spike never told you! You'd get caught up in wanting to rescue them, that you wouldn't even realize the consequences of your actions!" Faye retorted, pulling a lock pick from her hair. "What are you, my mother?" Jet snorted. Ignoring the comment, Faye picked the lock and pulled her gun out. Silently, they entered the room. It was dark, except for a window nearly twenty feet up. Dull sunlight was cast through a dark stained-glass window, illuminating the dank room only enough to make out simple objects.

Once their eyes adjusted, they saw two people on the wall, shackled and obviously dead. "Those are her parents.." Jet remarked, still finding the room too dark. Finding a small lamp, Faye turned it on. "Oh my god…" She whispered. Lola sat on the floor, holding Daisy's limp and bloody body. Dropping his gun, Jet ran over to them. "Hang on Lola, are you okay?" He said, looking at the young girl who in turn shook her head. "What happened?" Jet asked. Faye grabbed Jet's gun from the floor and handed it back to him. "Don't let your guard down, Jet. This room might be being observed." She warned. 

"We gotta get out of here." Jet said, picking up Daisy's body. Faye walked over to the elderly people and looked them over. "Shit…Jet, we have to move!" She said, running away from the wall. "What's the matter?" Jet asked worridly, putting Daisy over his shoulder, and taking Lola's hand. "There's a bomb. This building is going to be up in ashes whenever someone decides to flip the switch!" Faye exclaimed. Jet frowned grimly. "Vicious…it's gotta be him, or Julia..but she doesn't seem like the suicidal type." He remarked, following Faye into the hall.

Faye played the role of securing the hallways, while Jet had his hands full. "You never know. That bitch is back with Vicious, and God knows what she'd do for him." She said, trying to make it outside. While turning a corner, someone ran into them. Aiming at the man's chest, Faye was about to shoot. "Wait, I'm not going to hurt you!" The man exclaimed. Faye lowered her gun. "I know the fastest way to get out of here, but it won't be easy." The man said. Shaking her head slightly, Faye asked, "Who are you? And how the hell can we trust you?"

"I'm Shin. I used to work under Vicious. I came to help Spike, and he told me to help you." Shin said. Jet shook his head in disbelief. "Help them to get out of here. I'm not leaving Spike." Faye said, with a tone in her voice that said she wasn't going to change her mind. Shin smiled warmly. "He had a feeling you'd say that so he made me promise that I'd have you out of here. Sorry to have to do this.." He said, before tasering Faye so she fell to the floor. "Hey!" Jet exclaimed, pointing his gun at Shin, who picked Faye up. "You ashhole! What da hell di' you do da' fo'!? Ah'm nah leavin Spike!" Faye screamed.

Jet shook his head. "At least her mouth still works somewhat." He said sarcastically, lowering his gun.

"Don't worry, it's just a short term effect." Shin assured him as they began to make their way out. "Jet, don't leave Spike here to die! He's your friend for Godssakes! You'll never forgive yourself if he dies!" Faye said, her voice clearing up, trying to convince Jet to go back. "Faye, this is his fight. I'm not one to tell anyone what to do, and this needs to happen. You see how Spike kills himself over that damn woman, and his past, don't you?" Jet replied. Unable to nod her head, Faye answered, "Yeah…but—"

"But nothing. If you have faith in him, he'll be okay." Jet cut in.

The two followed Shin through hallways and rooms and even air vents before they were outside behind the syndicate building. "We made it." Jet said, looking at the looming building behind them. "We have to get as far away from here as possible. Vicious has that detonator, and we don't know when he'll use it." Shin said as Jet stared at the building. "Huh? Oh..yeah, right." Jet said, following after Shin. 

Meanwhile, inside the building, the fight had ended after Vicious had accidentily injured Julia. He took her in his arms and had turned to Spike. "This isn't over yet. You won't get out of this building alive Spike. Rest in peace.." he sneered, before disappearing into the shadows. Bloody and mangled, Spike crawled up from the floor and tried to find the nearest way out. 

Back outside, the three turned upon hearing glass shattering and screams.
    
    _I don't hear a sound_
    
    _Silent faces in the ground_
    
    _The quiet screams, but I refuse to listen_
    
    Floods of people ran from the building, some bleeding, some screaming and some of them even falling down dead. As the building went up in flames, the three stood in disbelief.
    
    _If there is a hell_
    
    _I'm sure this is how it smells_
    
    _Wish this were a dream, but no, it isn't_
    
    Faye took a step forward shakily, recovering from her tasering, hesitating only because of the smoke that billowed from the rooftop. "Faye, don't. He…he's probably already gone." Jet said warningly. "No…he can't be. I refuse to believe that. I won't believe it." Faye stammered, before running towards the building. "Faye! Dammit!" Jet called after her, placing Daisy's body on the floor. He ran after the woman, who had reached the front doors of the building. "It's too late, Faye. Don't throw your life away.." Jet said, placing his hand on the woman's shoulder. "It's not too late. Spike's alive, I can feel it Jet. He…just has a way about him, and I can tell that he's still alive. I don't know about you, but I'm not about to risk losing him." Faye replied, before running into the building.
    
    Jet could only watch, and hope that somehow, someway, they would both turn out okay.
    
    _Walk in the rain, in the rain, in the rain_
    
    _I walk in the rain, in the rain_
    
    _Am I right or am I wrong_
    
    _and is it here that I belong?…_

SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY…?


End file.
